Life Expectancy With Congestive Heart Failure
The life expectancy of someone with congestive heart failure depends on the type of heart failure, the cause, the stage of the disease, and how effective treatment is.
When heart failure results from cardiomyopathy or coronary artery disease, a person typically has a less positive outlook than someone with heart failure in its earliest stage.
What You Can Do For Your Loved One
In addition to symptom management, its important for the family caregiver to learn how to recognize the end-of-life signs for CHF, and when they should contact hospice. Hospice care will be able to address the specific needs of CHF patients in their final days, and help them to get the most out of what time they have left.
Congestive Heart Failure Procedures And Interventions
Other treatment or procedures may be offered, depending on the underlying cause of the heart failure.
Angioplasty: This is an alternative to coronary bypass surgery for some people whose heart failure is caused by coronary artery disease and may be compounded by heart damage or a previous heart attack. Angioplasty is performed to treat narrowing or blockage of a coronary artery that supplies the left ventricle with blood. The narrowing or blockage is caused by cholesterol deposits.
- Angioplasty begins with the cardiac catheterization procedure during which a long, thin tube called a catheter is inserted through the skin, into a blood vessel, and threaded into the affected artery. This procedure is performed while the person is under local anesthesia.
- At the point of the atherosclerotic narrowing or blockage, a tiny balloon and/or an expandable metal stent, attached to the end of the catheter, is inflated and/or deployed.
- The expanded stent pushes aside the cholesterol deposits that are blocking the artery so that blood can flow through in a more normal manner.
Pacemaker: This device controls the rate of the heartbeat. A pacemaker may keep the heart from going too slow, increasing heart rate when the heart is not increasing enough with activity. It also helps sustain regular rates when the heart is not beating in a coordinated way. Or, the pacemaker performs some combination of these.
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When To Get Medical Advice
See a GP if you experience persistent or gradually worsening symptoms of heart failure.
Call 999 for an ambulance or go to;your nearest A&E department as soon as possible if you have sudden or very severe symptoms.
A number of tests can be used to help check how well your heart is working,;including blood tests, an;ECG and an echocardiogram.
What Procedures And Tests Diagnose Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure can be a medical emergency, especially if it acutely decompensates and the patient can present extremely ill with the inability to breathe adequately. In this situation, the ABCs of resuscitation need to be addressed while at the same time, the diagnosis of congestive heart failure is made.
Common tests that are done to help with the diagnosis of congestive heart failure include the following:
- Electrocardiogram to help assess heart rate, rhythm, and indirectly, the size of the ventricles and blood flow to the heart muscle.
- Blood tests may include a complete blood count , electrolytes, glucose, BUN, and creatinine .
- B-type natriuretic peptide may be helpful in deciding if a patient has shortness of breath from congestive heart failure or from a different cause. It is a chemical that is located in the heart ventricles and may be released when these muscles are overloaded.
- Echocardiography or ultrasound testing of the heart is often recommended to assess the anatomy and the function of the heart. In addition to being able to evaluate the heart valves and muscle, the test can look at blood flow within the heart, watch the chambers of the heart contract, and measure the ejection fraction .
Other tests may be considered to evaluate and monitor a patient with suspected congestive heart failure, depending upon the clinical situation.
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Find Alternative Thirst Quenchers
Its tempting to guzzle a bunch of water when youre thirsty. But sometimes, just moistening your mouth can do the trick.
The next time youre tempted to gulp down some water, try these alternatives.
- Swish water around your mouth and spit it out.
- Suck on sugar-free candy or chew sugar-free gum.
- Roll a small ice cube around the inside of your mouth.
Tips For Limiting Fluid Intake
In addition to limiting sodium, a doctor may also recommend limiting fluids. This helps to keep the heart from being overloaded with fluids throughout the day.
While the amount of fluid restriction varies from person to person, doctors often recommend people with CHF aim for 2,000 milliliters of fluid a day. This is the equivalent of 2 quarts of fluid.
When it comes to restricting fluid, make sure to account for anything thats a fluid at room temperature. This includes things like soups, gelatin, and ice cream.
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List Of Congestive Heart Failure Diet Food
Congestive Heart Failure , is a medical condition that disturbs the pumping function of the human heart. Heart muscle which has turned weak or inflexible is not able to properly fill up the heart compartments with blood and squeeze it out once again. This leads to decreased movement of oxygen rich blood from the cardiovascular system to the tissues of the body. Mainly because the heart is not able to pump properly, extra fluids might build up in the lungs, legs and abdomen. Excess fluid in the lungs is precisely what causes breathing difficulties with heart malfunction.
- drug use and chronic abnormal heart rhythms.
What Is The Prognosis And Life Expectancy For Congestive Heart Failure
- The degree to which other organ systems are involved and the severity of other accompanying conditions
- The person’s symptoms and degree of impairment
- Other factors that remain poorly understood
With the availability of newer drugs to potentially favorably affect the progression of the disease, the prognosis in congestive heart failure is generally more favorable than that observed just 10 years ago. In some cases, especially when the heart muscle dysfunction has recently developed, a significant spontaneous improvement is not uncommonly observed, even to the point where heart function becomes normal.
Heart failure is often graded on a scale of I to IV based on the patient’s ability to function.
The prognosis of heart failure patients is very closely associated with the functional class.
An important issue in congestive heart failure is the risk of heart rhythm disturbances . Of those deaths that occur in individuals with congestive heart failure, approximately 50% are related to progressive heart failure. Importantly, the other half are thought to be related to serious arrhythmias.
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Women And Heart Failure
Women are just as likely as men to develop heart failure, but there are some differences:
- Women tend to develop heart failure later in life compared with men.
- Women tend to have heart failure caused by high blood pressure and have a normal EF .
- Women may have more shortness of breath than men do. There are no differences in treatment for men and women with heart failure.
One Of The Top 15 Heart Transplant Programs In The Nation
The RWJBarnabas Health Heart Failure and Transplant program is the most experienced and comprehensive program in New Jersey and is one of the top 15 heart transplant programs in the nation by volume. It has been at the forefront of highly specialized care for more than thirty years and is the site of the first heart transplant in New Jersey and has celebrated more than 1,100 hearts transplanted. Our cardiac surgeons and heart specialists’ expertise has made RWJBarnabas Health a regional and national training center for physicians, nurses and emergency services technicians.
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Symptoms Of Cardiac Cough
Depending on the cause, coughing and accompanying symptoms caused by heart failure can be experienced in different ways.
- A wet cough producing frothy sputum that may be tinged pink with blood
- Heavy wheezing and labored breathing accompanied by spells of coughing
- A bubbling feeling in the chest;or a whistling sound from the lungs
- A flare-up of other heart failure symptoms, including shortness of breath with activity or while lying down, fluid retention, and;paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea;
- A chronic dry cough that may produce a small amount of white or pink frothy mucus
- Coughing at night
Congestive Heart Failure Drugs
There are several medications that can be used to treat CHF, including ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and more.
ACE inhibitors
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors open up narrowed blood vessels to improve blood flow. Vasodilators are another option if you cant tolerate ACE inhibitors.
You may be prescribed one of the following:
- perindopril
- trandolapril
ACE inhibitors shouldnt be taken with the following medications without consulting a doctor, because they may cause an adverse reaction:
- Potassium-sparing diuretics and potassium supplements. These diuretics can cause potassium buildup in the blood, which may lead to abnormal heart rhythms. Examples include: riamterene , eplerenone , and spironolactone .
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs .NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen, can cause sodium and water retention. This may reduce the ACE inhibitors effect on your blood pressure.
This is an abbreviated list, so always speak with your doctor before taking any new medications.
Beta-blockers
Beta-blockers decrease the work the heart has to do and can reduce blood pressure and slow a rapid heart rhythm.
This may be achieved with:
Beta-blockers should be taken with caution with the following medications, as they may cause an adverse reaction:
Some medications may not be listed here. You should always consult your doctor before taking any new medications.
Diuretics
Your doctor may recommend:
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Experiment With Alternative Seasonings
Salt, which is about 40 percent sodium, might be one of the more common seasonings, but its definitely not the only one. Try swapping salt for savory herbs, such as:
- parsley
- basil
- celery flakes
Pepper and lemon juice also add a good amount of flavor without any added salt. For extra convenience, you can also purchase salt-free seasoning blends.
Reversing Congestive Heart Failure
It is possible to reverse congestive heart failure. Once the condition of your heart is assessed, the physician will take further steps to treat your congestive heart failure and start appropriate treatment.;
This treatment starts with medications and then other procedures may be done to attempt to help the heart get stronger.; There are a lot of medications available that will help in improving the quality of your life.
Cardiac viability tests are non-invasive tests that should be done initially to asses if the heart muscle is still alive and if the hearts condition is reversible. Cardiac viability tests should be done prior to any invasive procedures, to make sure the heart condition is reversible and to see if the invasive procedure is truly needed.;
For reversal of this disease, early diagnosis is very important.;
Cardiac PET provides one of the best and easiest ways to assess for cardiac viability in all individuals.
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Heart Disease: 12 Warning Signs That Appear On Your Skin
Warning signs can appear on your skin and nails, which is why your dermatologist may be the first doctor to notice that you have heart disease. If you know what to look for, you can also find warning signs of heart disease on your skin and nails. The following pictures show you what to look for.
Swelling in your feet and lower legsWhat it may be telling you: Your heart isnt working properly.Many diseases of the heart cause fluid to build up in your feet and lower legs. As the fluid builds up, you may see swelling, which can extend as far as the upper legs and groin.Medical name: Edema
Blue or purple color on your skinWhat it may be telling you: You have a blockage in a blood vessel.When youre extremely cold, your skin can turn blue . If an area of your skin is blue when youre warm, thats can be a sign your blood isnt getting enough oxygen. The patient in this photo has a condition known as blue toe syndrome, which happens when one or more blood vessels are blocked.Without treatment, the lack of oxygen can cause the skin and underlying tissue to eventually die.Medical name: Cyanosis
Nails curve downward and the ends of your fingers are swollenWhat it may be telling you: You may have a heart infection, heart disease, or lung problem.For many people, these signs are harmless. That said, if your fingers and nails look like this, its best to find out if you may have a medical condition, such as lung disease or a heart problem.Medical name: Clubbing
References
What Makes Yale Medicines Approach To Treating Congestive Heart Failure Unique
We have a very patient-focused team at Yale Medicine, says Dr. Jacoby.;Every person seen here, we treat as an individual, rather than offering a simple cookie-cutter treatment plan.
Yale Medicines multidisciplinary team comprises;of heart failure cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, dedicated advanced-practice, registered nurses and nurse coordinators, dietitians, exercise physiologists, financial counselors, immunologists specializing in transplants, psychologists, and specialists in palliative care.
In our multidisciplinary approach, we include the patients desires;as well as input from the family, Dr. Jacoby says. We develop a plan for social work support and take into account all of their financial and emotional stresses;in addition to their physical treatment needs.
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Manage Depression And Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are common in people with congestive heart failure. Feeling unwell, being unable to do some of the things they once enjoyed, and uncertainty about the future can all contribute to feelings of sadness. But if the person youre caring for seems consistently unhappy, they may be depressed. Look out for these signs of depression, and if you notice any, notify their doctor:
- Frequent crying episodes
- Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness
- Poor appetite or increased appetite
- Sleeping too much or not enough
- Increased agitation and restlessness
- Loss of interest in life
- Expressing thoughts of dying or suicide
Depression is a serious problem that requires evaluation and treatment. But you may be able to help manage your loved ones moods with these activities:
The Stages Of Dying From Congestive Heart Failure
There are more than five-million people in the United States affected by heart failure and approximately 500,000 new cases are diagnosed every year. This condition leads to the heart becoming too weak to pump blood throughout all the areas of the body. This results in the body being deprived of the nutrients and oxygen that are necessary to keep the body functioning properly. This condition can be either chronic or acute. There are four stages of dying from congestive heart failure and during the last stage, the body ultimately shuts down.
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Hypertension Or High Blood Pressure
Another cause of congestive heart failure is high blood pressure or hypertension. If you have high blood pressure, your heart muscle works extra hard to pump blood through your body.;
As time passes, because of the overexertion, the muscles in your heart can become too weak or too stiff to properly circulate blood to your body.; If you have high blood pressure, your heart muscle workextra hard to pump blood through your body.;
Congestive Heart Failure Treatment
Congestive heart failure is a serious health condition, but it can no longer be categorized as a death sentence. Notably, advancements in the medical field have led to the innovation of ways that one can manage the condition. Today, there is a treatment option that can suit any individuals general health. Medication based on ones stage and lifestyle modification are some of the treatment options available.
However, the sooner a person detects the symptoms and seeks treatment, the better. Therefore, when a person begins to experience any symptoms of heart failure, looking up for the er near me is the most ideal thing to do. If you have already been diagnosed with heart failure, it is important to work with a certified heart specialist. To find one, you can inquire from friends and family or lookup for cardiologists in an emergency room near me.
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Portion Out Your Fluids
Try to distribute your fluid consumption throughout your day. If you wake up and drink a bunch of coffee and water, you might not have much room for other fluids throughout the day.
Budget the 2,000 mL throughout your day. For example, have 500 mL for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This leaves with room for two 250 mL drinks between meals.
Work with your doctor to determine how much you need to restrict your fluid intake.
Mayo Clinic Q And A: Congestive Heart Failure And Diet
DEAR MAYO CLINIC:;My doctor told me that I have congestive heart failure and I have to change my lifestyle, including my diet.;What kind of diet should I be on?
ANSWER:;When patients have congestive heart failure, their heart isnt able to manage fluid well, and it builds up in the body. This fluid can cause shortness of breath, swelling in the abdomen or legs, and fatigue. If this occurs, diuretics, or water pills, often are prescribed to remove the excess fluid. Your health care provider also will recommend that you restrict your sodium, or salt, intake.;Why is this important?;Sodium makes your tissues act like a sponge, hanging on to water.;This extra water retention, on top of the fluid retained from your heart not working properly, will make it harder for your water pill to work, and you likely will keep feeling poorly.
So, what does it mean to restrict your sodium?;The American Heart Association recommends 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams of sodium per day for heart failure patients.;Most Americans far exceed that recommendation.
How will you know how much sodium you are getting in your diet?;First, be aware that any added salt will add up quickly.;One teaspoon of table salt is over 2,000 mg of sodium.;And it doesnt matter if its Himalayan salt, sea salt or kosher salt all should be avoided.
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