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| Congestive Heart Failure is an illness that is caused when the heart cannot pump blood the way it should. The heart pumps blood to the rest of the body. When the heart muscle is damaged, it cannot pump blood well. Symptoms of heart failure may include trouble breathing, swollen ankles, weight gain, and fatigue. |
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| | Congestive heart failure is a chronic disease, which means that patients can live for a long time with this disease. Patients can prolong their life and improve their symptoms by seeing their physicians regularly, watching their weight, and taking their medications. |
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| Congestive Heart Failure is diagnosed when your heart does not pump blood to its full capacity. This is usually done with an Echocardiogram (Echo), which is an ultrasound of the heart. The echocardiogram will show how well your heart pumps blood. An Echo measures heart function with an ejection fraction, which measures what percent of blood the heart is able to pump with every beat. |
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| Heart failure is treated with medication to make the heart pump better. These are some of the medications that your doctor may prescribe for heart failure: |
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| | ACE inhibitors - this medication helps the heart move blood more efficiently.
Diuretics - this medication helps remove excess fluid that has built up in the body.
Beta blockers – this medication slows the heart rate. A slower heart rate gives the heart more time to fill, so it can pump better.
Digoxin – this medication helps to improve the way the heart muscle pumps. |
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| Patients should watch their fluid and salt intake. Speak to your doctor about how much salt and fluid you are allowed. Ingesting too much salt increases your thirst, which may cause you to drink more fluid than your heart can handle. You can also drink more fluid than your heart can normally handle. Your heart will not function well if you have too much fluid in your body. |
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| | Extra fluid can accumulate in many places in your body. Extra fluid in the body can settle in your legs and is called edema. Fluid can settle in your lungs making it hard to breath. Too much fluid in your body can also make if difficult for patients to perform their usual activities. |
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| | Patients should weigh themselves daily in order to make sure no excess fluid has built up. You should call your doctor if you gain more than 3 pounds of fluid. Sudden weight gain can be a sign that your heart failure is getting worse. Patients should call their doctor if they notice leg swelling, if they have trouble breathing, or if it is more difficult to perform daily activities. |
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| | Patients should take their medication regularly. Contact your doctor if you have a reaction to the medication or stop taking your regular medication. Sometimes there are alternative medications that may suit you better. |
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| | Seeing your doctor regularly and calling when you have a change in your symptoms can help you keep your heart failure well controlled. |
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| Heart failure is caused by damage to the heart muscle. There are several things that cause damage to the heart muscle. |
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| | Heart muscle can be damaged by coronary heart disease, which causes low blood flow to the heart muscle. Decreased blood flow can cause temporary or permanent damage to the heart muscle.
Toxins can damage heart muscle, as well. Heavy alcohol use is one of the more common toxic causes of heart muscle damage.
Abnormal heart valves can cause damage to heart muscle by causing an increase in pressure in the heart. The pressure causes damage to the heart muscle.
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| 1. What I should do before a visit to my doctor.
- Write down the most important problem with your heart failure. Some symptoms of heart failure are trouble breathing, swollen ankles, weight gain or feeling tired.
- Write down a list of all the medicines you are taking. Include medicines you bought over the counter and herbal supplements.
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| | 2. What I should do during my visit with the doctor.
- Tell the doctor why your heart failure symptoms are a problem. Explain what is bothering you.
- Describe how long you have had this problem.
- Focus only on the problem you have identified.
- Ask your doctor to explain anything you don’t understand.
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| | 3. What I should do after the visit.
- Write down what you have been told is the current problem.
- Write down the treatment options you and your doctor have talked about such as:
- Drink only the amount of liquid each day that your doctor tells you is safe.
- Watch the amount of salt in your food.
- Weigh yourself every day and call your doctor for any sudden weight gain.
- Do not start smoking or if you do smoke follow your doctor’s advice to help you stop;
- For these treatment options and any medications your doctor gives you to make the heart pump better, write down how long you are to take it, how it will help you and what happens if you don’t take the medications or follow the treatment.
- Write down when you are to come back for your next visit or if you are to call your doctor.
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| American Heart Association: Heart Failure
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: What is Congestive Heart Failure?
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Asthma
Congestive Heart Failure