Heart Failure

Heart Failure

 

What is Heart Failure?

Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped working. It means that your heart is weakened and is unable to pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs.

Because your heart does not pump blood as well as it should, fluid tends to build up in the lungs and other parts of the body.  In addition, organs such as the kidneys and the brain receive less blood.  The most common symptoms of heart Failure are shortness of breath, swelling of the feet and legs, and fatigue.

 

What Can Be Done About Heart Failure?

In most cases, heart failure is a chronic condition, which means it can be treated and managed, but cannot be cured.   In some cases, surgery may help.  Your doctor can prescribe medications to make your hear work more efficiently and help relieve your symptoms.  In addition, there are several things you can do to help your heart, such as cutting down on salt, staying active, getting enough rest, and keeping regular appointments with your doctor.

 

What Happens in Heart Failure?

As the heart’s ability to pump decrease, the body tries to compensate in several ways:

  • The nervous system stimulates the heart to beat faster and more forcefully.
  • The kidneys, which receive less blood, make the body retain salt and water.
  • The heart goes through remodeling.  During this process, the heart chambers may dilate (enlarge) to allow more blood into the heart; the heart muscle may hypertrophy (thicken) to strengthen the heart’ or both.

Because the failing heart moves less blood with each beat, blood returning to the heart backs up in the lungs, and “polls” in the legs.  In addition, less blood is delivered to various organs.

When blood backs up in the lungs, fluid that is held back in the veins seeps out and causes build-up of fluid, or congestion, in lung tissues.  The excess fluid stiffens the lungs and interferes with the free flow of oxygen, resulting in shortness of breath. When the failing heart cannot pump enough blood to various organs, such as the brain and the muscles, lack of oxygen causes fatigue and weakness.

 

What Causes Heart Failure?

Heart failure can be caused by any medical condition that weakens the heart muscle or places too great a workload on the heart for a long time.  These are some workload on the heart for a long time.  These are some of the more common causes of heart failure:

  • Coronary heart disease
  • A past heart attack
  • High blood pressure
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Heart valve disease
  • Diabetes
  • Other factors

 

Symptoms of Heart Failure?

  • Shortness of breath
  • Shortness of breath when lying down
  • Waking up at night unable to breath
  • Dry cough or wheezing
  • Swelling of the feet and legs
  • Swollen or tender abdomen nausea, and loss of appetite
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Decreased exercise tolerance results from shortness
  • Palpitations
  • Confusion, impaired memory, and insomnia

 

What Can Help You?

1.  Medical Evaluation

Basic Tests: Your doctor will ask about your past and present illnesses, family history and lifestyle. You also may need to take some physical exams that help your doctor to diagnosis your problem.

    • Chest x-ray
    • Electrocardiogram (ECG)
    • Holter Monitoring
    • Stress Test (Exercise Test)
    • Echocardiogram
    • Radionuclide Ventriculogram (MUGA Scan)
    • Lab Tests
    • Cardiac Catherterization
    • Electrophysiology Study (EP Study)

2.  Medication

If you have heart failure, your doctor will most likely prescribe medications to impore the way your heart pumps and to help relieve your symptoms.  Medications commonly prescribed for treating heart failure includ:

    • ACE Inhibitors
    • Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs)
    • Beta Blockers
    • Digitalis and Digoxin
    • Diuretics (3 types): (1) Loop Diuretics,  (2)  Thiazide Diuretics,  (3) potassium-sparing diuretics
    • Aldosterone Antagonists
    • Medications for related conditions (consult to your doctor)