Is There A Treatment For Heart Failure
There are more treatment options available for heart failure than ever before. Tight control over your medications and lifestyle, coupled with careful monitoring, are the first steps. As the condition progresses, doctors specializing in the treatment of heart failure can offer more advanced treatment options.
The goals of treating heart failure are to try to keep it from getting worse , to ease symptoms, and to improve quality of life.
Some common types of medicines used to treat it are:
- Aldosterone antagonists
- Selective sinus node inhibitors
- SGLT2 inhibitor
Your doctor may also recommend a program called cardiac rehabilitation to help you exercise safely and keep up a heart-healthy lifestyle. It usually includes workouts that are designed just for you, education, and tips to lower your chance of heart trouble, like quitting smoking or changing your diet.
Cardiac rehab also offers emotional support. You can meet people like you who can help you stay on track.
How Can I Prevent Heart Failure
You can prevent heart failure by preventing coronary heart disease and heart attack. The best way to do this is to reduce or eliminate the risk factors that lead to heart failure. You could:
- drink alcohol in moderation
- reduce stress and look after your mental wellbeing
If you have had a heart attack, its even more important to manage your risk factors and follow your treatment plan. Make sure you check in frequently with your healthcare team.
Some risk factors such as your age, whether you have other health conditions, or your genes may be outside your control. Speak with your doctor if you have concerns about developing heart failure, and how you can manage it.
What Is The Difference Between Right
Right-sided congestive heart failure causes poor venous blood return to the heart. In other words, when the heart contracts or pumps, instead of the right ventricle pushing the blood through the lungs for oxygenation, some blood leaks through the tricuspid valve back into the right atrium. This blood backs up into the systemic circulation and consequently becomes congested. Fluid accumulates in the abdomen, interfering with the function of the organs in these areas. The abdomen may fill with fluid, a condition called ascites. Fluid may also leak from veins in the limbs, causing swelling, known as peripheral edema.
In left-sided congestive heart failure , when the heart contracts or pumps, instead of the left ventricle pushing the blood into the systemic circulation, some blood leaks through the mitral valve back into the left atrium and then it backs up into the lungs. Fluid then seeps into the lung tissue resulting in pulmonary edema. This causes coughing and difficulty breathing. Left-sided congestive heart failure is the most common form of congestive heart failure. The classic signs of heart failure, coughing and fluid in the chest, are most commonly caused by LS-CHF.
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Here Are The Signs Of A Dog Dying Of Heart Failure
If your dog is in the final stages of their heart failure, you may be curious about the typical signs of a dog suffering in their CHF.
To help you make the best decision for your furry friend, lets list some of the signs of a dog dying from their heart failure.
- Frequent coughing
Specific treatment for CHF will be determined by you and your childs physician based on:
- Your childs age, overall health and medical history
- Extent, type and typical history of the disease
- Your childs tolerance for specific medications, procedures or therapies
If heart failure is caused by a congenital heart defect or an acquired heart problem such as rheumatic heart disease, surgical repair of the problem may be necessary. Medications often are helpful in initial treatment of CHF. Eventually, medications may lose their effectiveness and many congenital heart defects will need to be repaired surgically. Medications also may be used after surgery to help the heart function during the healing period.
Medications that commonly are prescribed to treat CHF in children include the following:
Signs Of Congestive Heart Failure People Often Miss
Most people are unaware that congestive heart failure affects 5% of people older than 60 and 2% of people between the ages of 40 and 60 this condition can also affect children, teenagers, and young adults. It affects men and women at equal rates, and black Americans are at higher risk of developing the condition than white Americans, Asian-Americans, or Hispanic-Americans. Doctors in the United States diagnose an estimated half a million new cases of heart failure each year.
Individuals with heart failure often end up being hospitalized multiple times, and the five-year survival rate after diagnosis is less than 50%. People with heart failure are also prone to just suddenly dying close to 300,000 people die from heart failure in the US every year.
Everyone knows the signs of an acute heart attack. Men usually experience severe pain in their chest along with cold sweating and dizziness, while women may or may not experience pain in their jaw, neck, arms, or upper back, along with severe sweating and dizziness. However, practically no one is aware of the signs and symptoms of heart failure. Here, we will discuss how to recognize the possible presence of heart failure.
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Weird Aches And Pains
Heart failure rarely causes chest pain. Instead, weirdly enough, strange aches and pains may appear in odd places during mild exertion, such as climbing stairs. The jaw is a common location to experience heart failure pain. Other sites the pain can occur are the arms, the shoulders, the back, and even the abdomen. If you feel weird pains during exertion that subside once youve rested, you should consult a doctor.
Sudden Or Rapid Weight Gain
In addition to fluid building up in your extremities, edema can occur throughout the entire body, which may result in sudden, unexplained weight gain. This is not only a common sign of both acute and chronic heart failure, according to the Mayo Clinic, but being overweight puts added stress on your heart and can be a common cause of heart problems such as stroke and heart attack.
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Stages Of Heart Failure
In 2001, the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology described the “Stages of Heart Failure.” These stages, which were updated in 2005, will help you understand that heart failure is often a progressive condition and can worsen over time. They will also help you understand why a new medication was added to your treatment plan and may help you understand why lifestyle changes and other treatments are needed.
The stages classified by the AHA and ACC are different than the New York Heart Association clinical classifications of heart failure that rank patients as class I-II-III-IV, according to the degree of symptoms or functional limits. Ask your doctor what stage of heart failure you are in.
Check the table below to see if your therapy matches what the AHA and ACC recommend. Note that you cannot go backward in stage, only forward.
The table below outlines a basic plan of care that may or may not apply to you, based on the cause of your heart failure and your special needs. Ask your doctor to explain therapies that are listed if you do not understand why you are or are not receiving them.
The New York Heart Association clinical classifications of heart failure rank people as class I-II-III-IV, according to the degree of symptoms or functional limits. You can ask your doctor if you want to know what stage of heart failure youâre in.
What Is The Outlook With Heart Failure
With the right care, congestive heart failure wont stop you from doing the things you enjoy. Your prognosis, or outlook for the future, will depend on:
- How well your heart muscle is working.
- How well you respond to your treatment plan.
- How well you follow your treatment plan.
One study says that people with heart failure have a life span 10 years shorter than those who dont have heart failure. Another study showed that the survival rates of people with chronic heart failure were 80% to 90% for one year, but that dropped to 50% to 60% for year five and down to 30% for 10 years.
A different study found that people who had heart failure and were discharged from the hospital had expected life spans ranging from three to 20 years, depending on various factors like age and gender. Its important to look at your specific situation when considering your prognosis.
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Causes Of Heart Failure
The heart is a double pump made up of four chambers. Deoxygenated blood from the veins enters the right upper chamber , is passed to the right lower chamber , and then pumped to the lungs.
Oxygenated blood from the lungs enters the left upper chamber and then enters the left lower chamber . The blood is then pumped around the body, under pressure, via arteries.
In a person with heart failure, one or both ventricles dont empty properly. This leads to increased pressure in the atria and the nearby veins. This backlog of blood can affect the kidneys and lungs interfering with their function and leading to a build-up of fluid in the lungs, abdominal organs and legs.
In some people with heart failure, rather than failed pumping of the blood from the ventricle, there is failed relaxation of the ventricle.
If the heart is not pumping and becomes stiff and unable to relax, it can cause the blood to pool in the hearts ventricles. This can cause pressure build up and can put strain on the heart.
Heart failure can be caused by several conditions, including:
Nitrates Apresoline Beta Blockers And Inotropes Drugs For Congestive Heart Failure
Nitrates are venous vasodilators that include isosorbide mononitrate and isosorbide dinitrate . They are commonly used in combination with an arterial vasodilator, such as hydralazine .
- Nitroglycerin is a nitrate preparation that is administered to treat acute chest pain, or angina.
Hydralazine is a smooth muscle arterial vasodilator that may be used for congestive heart failure. Clinical trial data has shown hydralazine plus nitrates to be especially effective in African-Americans with heart failure, when used in addition to ACE inhibitors or ARBs.
- Isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine is a fixed dose combination of isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine . This drug is indicated for heart failure in African-Americans based in part on results of the African American Heart Failure Trial .
- Hydralazine is also especially valuable in patients who have poor kidney function and/or are intolerant to ACE inhibitors and ARBs.
Beta-blockers: These drugs slow down the heart rate, lower blood pressure, and have a direct effect on the heart muscle to lessen the workload of the heart. Specific beta-blockers, such as carvedilol and long-acting metoprolol , have been shown to decrease symptoms, hospitalization due to congestive heart failure, and deaths. Other beta-blockers include bispropolol , atenolol , propranolol , and , but they are generally not used with significant congestive heart failure.
Getting the most out of congestive heart failure medications involves the following:
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How Is Heart Disease Diagnosed
First, your provider will ask about your personal and family history of heart disease. Then, they may prescribe lab and imaging tests such as the following:
Blood tests: Blood tests to measure your cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as tests to check for certain proteins and other substances that are linked to heart disease and poor heart health will likely be performed.
Imaging tests: A chest X-ray can show heart problems like blood vessel damage, fluid around your heart, and changes to its size. A computerized tomography scan of the heart takes X-ray images at different angles around the heart. A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the heart uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of the heart.
Exercise or stress tests: Your heart may be monitored while you walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike so that your provider can see if symptoms of heart disease occur during exercise.
Electrocardiogram : This test checks your heart for abnormal rhythm, or arrhythmia. You may also be asked to wear a Holter monitor, or portable ECG device over the course of a day to check for the same.
Echocardiogram: To determine how blood moves through your heart and its valves, sound waves are used via an echocardiogram.
Cardiac catheterization: In this procedure, a catheter is inserted through a blood vessel in the groin or wrist and fed to the heart. Dye is injected through the tube so that your doctor is able to see the heart and arteries during an X-ray.
Final Thoughts On Catching The Signs Of Congestive Heart Failure Early
Congestive heart failure stems from several different conditions. Fortunately, you can control many of these conditions, changes, like hypertension and diabetes, by improving your lifestyle. The primary approach to treating both of these conditions is dietary changes. A heart-friendly diet combined with medication and controlled exercise can keep hypertension and diabetes in check, preventing the associated heart failure from progressing.
It is crucial to diagnose heart failure as early as possible because the early-stage disease is treatable. Unfortunately, the signs and symptoms of early-stage disease are vague and non-specific. Unfortunately, doctors sometimes only diagnose congestive heart failure after trauma to this vital organ. Thus, if you notice you or a loved one has one or more of the symptoms listed in this article, seek medical care from your physician.
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Signs Of Congestive Heart Failure In Dogs
The signs of early congestive heart failure in dogs might not be noticeable at first, especially to the untrained eye. It could be as small as the dog not wanting to go for walks anymore or not go up and down the stairs as frequently. As heart disease progresses, you might notice light coughing, especially in the morning, or see that your dog is breathing faster, even when resting.
Reluctance to move around could also be signs of aging or arthritis. Even little changes in your dogs behavior or activity are worth checking out with a visit to the veterinarian.
In the middle stages of heart failure, the dog may start having trouble breathing during exercise or may not be sleeping through the night without coughing, Dr. Lefbom says. The more severe stage of heart failure requires emergency care for a pet that is truly struggling to breathe.
If you know your dog has heart disease, ask your veterinarian which worsening signs you need to look out for and bring to their attention.
What Is The Smallest Artery
Capillaries, the smallest blood vessels, connect arteries and veins.
Which part of the heart is the thickest?
The left ventricle has the thickest wall out of all the chambers.
Where is the female heart located?
Your heart is located between your lungs in the middle of your chest, behind and slightly to the left of your breastbone .
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Common Types Of Congestive Heart Failure
The most common type of congestive heart failure is the left-sided CHF. It occurs when the left ventricle of your heart does not pump blood properly.
As congestive heart failure progresses, it might get difficult for you to breathe as the fluid builds up in the lungs.
Left-sided congestive heart failure has two types:
- Diastolic heart failure
- Systolic heart failure
The other type of congestive heart failure is the right-sided CHF. In this type, the right ventricle is unable to supply blood to your lungs.
As a result, blood gets backed up in the vessels, causing a buildup of fluid in your abdomen, lower extremities, and your vital organs.
A person can get both right-sided and left-sided congestive heart failure at the same time. It usually begins at the left side of your heart, and if left untreated, travels to the right.
What Drink Cleans Arteries
Pomegranate Juice Soothes Stressed Arteries
- In the study, researchers tested the effects of pomegranate juice on samples of human cells that line blood vessels.
- In addition, tests on mice showed that pomegranate juice significantly slowed hardening of the arteries that developed from high cholesterol.
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Stages Of Congestive Heart Failure In Dogs
Heart failure occurs in stages. According to Dr. Lefbom, early heart failure is very responsive to treatment and dogs start feeling better quickly once they receive care. A dog in the middle stages of heart failure is harder to treat and requires more medication. The late stages of heart failure are the most severe, requiring multiple medications given many times throughout the day. In the late stages, the dogs quality of life worsens. At this point, pet owners might face the difficult decision to consider humane euthanasia.
When To Get Medical Advice
See your GP if you experience persistent or gradually worsening symptoms of heart failure.
The symptoms can be caused by other, less serious conditions, so it’s a good idea to get them checked out.
Call 999 for an ambulance or go to your nearest accident and emergency department as soon as possible if you have sudden or very severe symptoms.
This is a medical emergency that may require immediate treatment in hospital.
Page last reviewed: 19 May 2022 Next review due: 19 May 2025
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