Heart Failure

Overview of Heart Failure

Heart failure is a chronic condition that can leave you feeling tired and breathless. When left untreated, heart failure can significantly impact your quality of life or lead to other life-threatening complications, such as kidney damage and sudden cardiac arrest.

How Heart Failure Develops

Heart failure develops when your heart is no longer strong enough to pump blood to all parts of your body. It can happen when your heart muscles get weak or become stiff. Heart failure affects roughly 6.2 million Americans​, and it’s one of the fastest-growing heart problems nationwide.

Two Types of Heart Failure

Heart failure can affect the left side, right side, or both sides of your heart. Doctors typically classify the condition based on how well your heart pumps blood.

You can have:

• Systolic Heart Failure: Your heart muscles are weaker and can’t contract enough to send blood throughout your body. This type is also called heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
• Diastolic Heart Failure: Your heart muscles are strong but can’t relax enough to pump blood well. This type is also called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Risk Factors

Several health factors can increase your risk for developing heart failure, including the following medical conditions:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Coronary artery disease
• Abnormal heart rhythm
• Abnormal heart valves
• Congenital heart disease
• Heart muscle disease (like dilated cardiomyopathy or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy)
• Heart muscle inflammation (myocarditis)
• Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)
• Previous heart attack
• Severe anemia
• Severe lung disease
• Sleep apnea​

Also, other lifestyle behaviors can increase your risk of heart failure:

• Eating a diet high in cholesterol, fat, or salt
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Not getting enough exercise
• Smoking

Symptoms

Heart failure affects each person differently. Some patients experience symptoms suddenly. Others may not notice the signs because they develop slowly over time.

The most common heart failure signs are:

• Shortness of breath
• Swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, or stomach
• Fatigue
• Chronic coughing or wheezing
• Confusion
• High heart rate
• Lightheadedness
• Little-to-no appetite
• Nausea

Diagnosing Heart Failure

A routine physical is the first step to diagnosing heart failure.

Tests

Your doctor will listen to your heart and lungs and check your heart rate. If anything sounds abnormal, your doctor may recommend other tests, including:

• Echocardiogram: an ultrasound to show the thickness of your heart muscle
• Cardiac MR: an MRI reveals any tissue inflammation or scarring, which can lead to weakened heart muscles

Bloodwork

Your doctor may also order bloodwork to detect signs of heart failure.

A blood test will show if you have an elevated level of natriuretic peptide. That hormone molecule plays a big role in regulating your cardiovascular system, and your body produces more when your heart isn’t working well.

Videos About Heart Failure

Treating Heart Failure

Because everyone’s experience with heart failure is different, our expert providers work together to develop a specialized treatment plan for you.

Depending on your condition, our team can offer a variety of recommendations.

Medications

For patients with systolic heart failure, we may recommend:

Support Services for Heart Failure

You don’t have to manage your condition alone. We offer a program as well as a support group to ensure you have the best possible outcomes:

• Through the Heart Link program, our nurse specialists stay connected to our heart patients after they leave the hospital. You’ll get personal guidance on diet, exercise, medication, and doctor follow-ups to help you transition to self care.
• With our support groups, you meet with fellow patients to share experience and advice, gaining education for a healthier life.