Heart Failure Sounds Terrifying! What Is It?
February 6, 2022
Coronary artery disease/heart attack, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms or heart valve problems are the most common causes.
Let’s start with what it is NOT: It’s not a heart attack! Your heart is a pump that moves blood throughout your body. In heart failure, your heart is still pumping blood, but it’s not working as well as it should. There are two main types of heart failure:
- Systolic: Your heart is weak and cannot pump with enough power.
- Diastolic: Your heart has trouble relaxing and it can’t fill with enough blood.
How do I know if I have it?
- Heart failure is detected by your doctor using your medical history, a physical exam, and findings from cardiac imaging tests.
- An imaging test called an echocardiogram. This can reveal damage to the heart and determine how well it is pumping. “Cardiac echo” is a painless outpatient procedure.
- You may find out you have heart failure after going to your doctor or even to the hospital with signs and symptoms of the condition.
What are the most common signs and symptoms of heart failure?
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling in the legs or waist
- Weight gain (at least 3 pounds overnight or 5 pounds in a week)
- Feeling tired
- Cough
- Trouble sleeping at night or trouble breathing while lying down
- Chest pain or pressure
How do I know what kind of heart failure I have?
- Most often you will get an ultrasound of the heart, or echocardiogram. This imaging test will tell your doctor your “ejection fraction” (EF), or pumping strength.
- Your EF is how much blood gets pumped out compared to the total amount of blood in the heart.
- A normal EF is 50 to 70%. A reduced EF is less than 40%. (In diastolic heart failure, you may have normal pumping function, but the heart doesn’t refill completely between beats).
What causes heart failure?
Coronary artery disease/heart attack, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms or heart valve problems are the most common causes.
Risk factors include:
- Past heart attack
- Diabetes
- Heart defects since birth
- Heavy alcohol or drug use
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Severe stress
- Thyroid problems
- Strong family history
- Some types of chemotherapy
- Pregnancy
How do I treat it?
Heart failure is a lifelong condition but if managed properly, you can lead a normal life. It is very important to treat heart failure or it will get worse.
Treatment depends on the cause. For example, if your heart failure was caused by a heart attack, you may need medications or surgeries to treat the blocked artery that caused the heart attack. Or if your heart failure was due to hypertension, you will need medications to help lower your blood pressure.
Eat right, stay physically active, and treat/manage other health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Your doctor may prescribe medication, pacemaker or defibrillator implantation, supplemental oxygen, or home health services, among others. Talk to your doctor about what treatment is right for you.
What can I do?
- Know your risk factors. Treating these can help you feel better and live longer.
- If you haven’t been diagnosed with heart failure but have risk factors, make changes now to prevent it.
- See your doctors regularly.
- Know the warning signs.
- Take your medications as directed.
- If you have questions about your medications, ask!
- Bring all your medications with you to all your doctor’s appointments.
- Alert all your healthcare providers to your condition.
- Ask your family to help support you in your journey.
- Weigh daily and notify your provider of sudden weight gain or swelling, especially in the feet and lower legs.
- Eat a heart-healthy diet that is low in salt (sodium) and fat and rich in fresh vegetables, fruit, and lean meat choices.
- Avoid drinking a lot of fluid.
- Be more physically active.
- If you smoke cigarettes or other substances, quit.
Remember that you are not alone. Almost 6 million Americans are living with heart failure. It is the leading cause of hospitalizations in adults 65 and over, but with treatment and proper management, you can live a full life and reduce your risk of needing hospital care.
St. Mary’s is here to help.
We provide a full continuum of heart failure care including:
- Primary care physicians
- Cardiologists, with locations in Athens, Greensboro, Lavonia and Monroe
- Cardiac rehabilitation
- Diagnostic services, including 3D echocardiography
- Device implantation and follow-up
- Smoking cessation
- Diabetes self-management classes and nutritional counseling
- Wellness Centers
We are here to provide you with exceptional care for life!