Heart Failure - What You Should Know

by Carol Bjorkman, FNP

Heart failure is caused by something which hurts the heart muscle. Some of the most common causes are high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, abnormal heart rhythm, viral infections, chemotherapy, abnormal heart valves, congenital heart defects, and alcohol or drug abuse. The damage weakens the heart's pumping power so blood flows more slowly. The heart has to work harder to keep blood moving; over time it gets weaker and loses more strength.

There is not a simple test which can be done to determine that you have heart failure. The combination of physical examination, signs and symptoms, and testing heart function are some of what we use to determine if your symptoms are caused by heart failure. Common symptoms are shortness of breath, increasing fatigue, swelling in the legs, ankles or abdomen, rapid weight gain, cough/congestion, and chest pain. Testing includes echocardiogram, cardiopulmonary function testing, cardiac stress test, microvolt-T wave testing, coronary CT angiogram, sleep studies and Bio-Z testing. Each of these tests gives us information which in combination with your history and physical enables us to determine if you have heart failure.

Once the diagnosis is made, one of our jobs is to give you the best medical therapy available. This will usually include beta blockers such metoprolol or carvedilol, diuretics, ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors or ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers), vasodilators, and digoxin. These medications decrease the workload of the heart and help it pump better. Other interventions may include implantation of a defibrillator. We will educate you when it is time to call us if symptoms of heart failure are worsening.

You may be thinking, "I'm so glad I don't have heart failure." Did you know that having high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, or coronary artery disease increases your risk of developing heart failure? The doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistant at Heart First, along with your primary care provider, will actively work with you in managing these risk factors.

An essential part of managing heart failure is up to you, the patient. This includes keeping track of your daily weight, eating a well-balanced diet, decreasing salt intake, taking your medication at the right time, losing weight if you are overweight or obese, stopping smoking, and getting some regular exercise. Taking care of yourself now can help to prevent or delay the diagnosis of heart failure for many years.

Should you develop heart failure down the road, we are here to help you manage this chronic condition. Our ultimate goal is to help you live longer and healthier, reduce your symptoms, reduce the number of visits to the hospital and slow the progression of heart failure.

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