Diagnosed With Heart Failure What Happens Next? – Samaritan Health Services

Congestive heart failure, or CHF, is the most common reason for hospitalization for those aged 65 or better, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Despite the alarmist name, heart failure doesnt mean your heart has stopped. It just means your heart isnt pumping blood as effectively as it should.

We often see heart failure occur when there is damage over the course of several years from conditions that are not being well managed like high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity, said Tracy Randleman, RN, a clinic care coordinator for heart failure patients at Samaritan Heart Center.

The American Heart Associationwarns that conditions like coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, or arrhythmias can put you at a higher risk for heart failure.

Some conditions weaken the heart and others make it stiffer, but the end result is that the heart has to work harder to pump blood. The heart cant keep up and it becomes less efficient at getting blood to vital organs and tissue.

Early in the process of CHF, the body tries to compensate for the weakening heart. The heart may enlarge or develop more muscle in order to pump more blood, or it may begin to pump faster. But these solutions are only temporary.

You may not notice any outward symptoms for several years while the heart is going through this process, said Randleman, who points out that regular follow-up with a primary care provider, even if you feel fine, is one of the best chances of early identification and management heart failure.

As the heart becomes weaker, symptomsbecome progressively worse. You may begin to notice:

It can be easy to overlook some of these symptoms or chalk them up to old age, but heart failure can be managed if it is found early.

Heart failure is treatable and with lifestyle changes and medication, most people can maintain a fairly high quality of life, said Randleman.

If you are diagnosed with heart failure, your clinician may recommend lifestyle changes that can help your heart:

Your clinician may also recommend medicationsthat can lower blood pressure or help your heart beat stronger. Severe cases of heart failure may require surgery for a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator to help regulate the heartbeat.

According to the American Heart Association, conventional therapy and symptom management strategies like those listed above work for about 90 percent of the 6 million people who live with heart failure.

The long-term outlookfor people with heart failure depends a lot on how well they manage their other conditions, said Randleman.

If you end up being admitted to the hospital because of your heart failure, the statistics are somewhat sobering: nearly one in four will be back at the hospital within a month, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

Heart failure is the result of years of damage so there is not just one thing that people can change after a hospital visit that will result in a quick improvement, said Randleman. One of the goals before leaving the hospital is for patients to understand their condition and know what tools are available to them so they can take better care of their hearts.

If you are hospitalized for heart failure, Randleman recommends following these tips to reduce your chances of winding up in the hospital again:

Learn why Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center recently received a 5-star rating from Healthgradesfor its treatment of heart attack and heart failure.

Tracy Randleman, RN, is a Clinic Care Coordinator at Samaritan Cardiology Corvallis. She promotes the care and education of heart failure patients to help them achieve the best possible outcomes.

Samaritan Heart Center provides a wide range of advanced cardiology and cardiac surgery services. Our affiliation with Stanford Health Care provides access to even more life-saving cardiac procedures for local patients. For more information, visit samhealth.org/Heart or call 888-263-6092.

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Diagnosed With Heart Failure What Happens Next? - Samaritan Health Services