What is Heart Failure?

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, aka the CDC, over 6 million American adults have heart failure. In 2018, the CDC reported that heart failure was the cause of death for over 13% of the population. Which is why understanding what heart failure is, its risk factors, symptoms, and treatment is so important.

Defined by the CDC, “Heart failure happens when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to support other organs in your body.” There are various reasons as to why the heart may not be pumping efficiently, but any reason causing the rest of the body to be short on blood, and therefore oxygen, fall under the heart failure category. Some of these causes include untreated hypertension, chronic arrhythmias, valvular heart disease, coronary heart disease (aka CAD), pericarditis, obesity, and diabetes.

Risk Factors

In addition to the aforementioned causes, there are other lifestyle choices that can lead to heart failure. These risk factors include smoking and living a sedentary lifestyle. Poor nutrition (eating foods high in fat, sodium, and cholesterol) and excessive alcohol consumption are risk factors as well. Once diagnosed with heart failure, the primary risk factors would be not sticking to the treatment regimen and not making necessary lifestyle changes.

Symptoms

If your heart isn’t able to pump blood properly, then your body isn’t going to be oxygenated efficiently. Therefore, specific symptoms such as shortness of breath are going to start occurring. Other symptoms include feeling tired and weak, swelling of the feet, ankles, and legs, and generalized weight gain. Depending on which part of the heart isn’t functioning properly, the patient may also experience confusion, jugular vein distention (aka JVD), nausea, or even an extra heart sound.

Treatment – Medications

Depending on the underlying cause, there are different medications and treatments that may be used. Some of these medications include Diuretics, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (aka ACE) Inhibitors, and Calcium Channel Blockers. Inotropic Agents such as digoxin, dobutamine, and dopamine are also commonly used. Lastly we have Vasodilators such as nitroglycerin and Anticoagulants such as warfarin to help treat heart failure.

Treatment – Lifestyle Changes

In addition to prescribed medications, it is important to educate patients on necessary lifestyle changes to keep their heart in the best possible shape. Encourage smoking cessation, like always, and a proper nutritional diet. If you think a meeting with a nutritionist would be beneficial, put in a request for one. Heart failure patients need to decrease sodium levels because as we know, water binds to sodium. And will therefore increase blood pressure and additionally the workload on the heart. Similarly, monitoring intake and output, restricting fluids, and taking daily weights is another good way to make sure the heart isn’t being overloaded. Lastly encourage patients to increase their activity level and take at least a 30 minute walk a day.

Treatment – Devices and Procedures

If lifestyle changes and medications aren’t cutting it, or if the heart is too damaged, there are other, more invasive options. Heart transplants are sometimes required in end-stage heart disease. And for patients who may not qualify for a heart transplant Vascular Assist Devices (aka VAD) are another option.

If Left Untreated…

If left untreated, proper oxygenation to the entire body, including vital organs, will be insufficient. Resulting in a slow shutdown of the entire body. As we know, our bodies will not last long without being able to properly do their jobs. In this case, death is inevitable. Which is why yearly checkups, education, and lifestyle changes are so important.

Do you treat patients with heart failure? Comment below!

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Referenced CDC heart failure stats and info can be found here.

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Patient Education: What is Heart Failure? Risk Factors, Symptoms, and Treatments