Treatment of Heart Failure
Heart failure has become a very common issue in Bangladesh nowadays. Today we will completely discuss what is heart failure, type of heart failure, its symptoms, causes, and treatment of heart failure. We will also discuss about the prevention of heart failure with the different branches for treatment of heart failure.
What is heart failure?
Congestive heart failure is when the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen. Basically, the heart can’t take the workload because the heart has become too weak or stiff. And over the time blood and fluids collect in your lungs and legs and the situation gets much much worse.
How many types of heart failure?
Mainly there are three types of heart failure happens. They are
- Left-sided heart failure: In this case, the left ventricle of the heart no longer pumps as much blood needed around the body.
- Right-sided heart failure: Here in the right ventricle of the heart is too weak to pump blood to the lungs.
- High-output heart failure: This case is the rarest and most rarely happens this high-output heart failure.
What are the congestive heart failure symptoms?
Heart failure symptoms develop slowly and sometimes heart failure occurs suddenly. The main congestive heart failure symptoms are:
- Breathlessness with activity or when lying down.
- Chest pain
- Heart palpitations
- fatigue when you are active and weakness.
- Waking up short of breath at night.
- Swelling in the joints of your body.
- Uncontrolled weight gain from fluid buildup.
- Need to urinate at night.
- Very dry, hacking cough at night and day.
- Nausea and lack of appetite.
Sometimes, the patient may have very minor symptoms of congestive heart failure or maybe none at all. This doesn’t mean actually that you don’t have heart failure. Symptoms of congestive heart failure can range from mild(minor) to severe(major) and may come and go.
Sadly, heart failure usually gets worse to worsen over time. You may have more or different types of signs or symptoms in severe stages.
What causes congestive heart failure?
Heart failure is often the result of various problems that affect the weakened, damaged, or stiff heart at the same time. Before we know the treatment of heart failure we should know the causes of this congestive heart failure.
The main causes of heart failure include:
- Diabetes.
- High blood pressure (hypertension).
- Kidney disease.
- Cigarette and recreational drug use.
- Alcohol use.
- Coronary artery disease and/or heart attack.
- Heart valve disease.
- Heart issues present at birth (congenital heart disease).
- Body mass index higher than 30.
- Blood clots in the lungs.
- Any kind of illness that affects the whole body.
Right-sided heart failure commonly causes just because of left-sided heart failure. When the left ventricle doesn’t work properly, it allows blood to back up the oxygen supply and this reason affects the right ventricle of the patient.
Main risk factors for heart failure?
Risk factors for congestive heart failure include:
- Being older than 65.
- Having high blood pressure.
- Having coronary artery disease.
- Heart valve disease.
- Using cigarette, cocaine, or alcohol.
- Having an inactive (sedentary) lifestyle.
- Eating salty, junk and fatty foods.
- Having a heart attack.
- Having a family history of heart failure.
- Having Congenital heart disease.
complications of congestive heart failure?
A few main complications from congestive heart failure are:
- Sudden cardiac death: if the heart is weak or stiff, there is a high of dying suddenly.
- Irregular heartbeat: Irregular heartbeat is a common complication of heart failure.
- Heart valve problems: valve may damage completely day after day due to heart failure.
- Pulmonary hypertension: it is also because of congestive heart failure.
- Kidney damage or failure: Heart failure reduce the blood flow so there is a high risk of kidney damage.
- Liver damage: Heart failure cause fluid buildup which doesn’t let the liver work properly.
How is congestive heart failure diagnosed?
A professional cardiac surgeon may ask you about your symptoms and medical history. They may ask you about:
- Rest of the health conditions you have.
- Family history of heart failure or attack.
- How much alcohol you drink and tobacco you consume.
- Any history of chemotherapy or radiation.
- The medications you take regularly.
- You’ll also have a physical exam. Your provider will look for signs of congestive heart failure and
diseases that may have made your heart muscle weak or stiff.
what tests can be done to diagnose Heart failure?
If anyone faces any symptoms of heart failure, immediately he should have some test to see how his/her heart works. Here are a few tests for heart failure:
- Blood texts
- ECG(electrocardiogram)
- Chest X-ray
- Echocardiogram
- PT with INR
- Pro-BNP
- Genetic testing
What is the treatment of heart failure?
Heart failure is a very long-term state that can’t be cured completely but its possible to keep it under control for many years doing the proper treatment.
So mainly heart failure treatment could be divided into four parts-
- Lifestyle changes: Eating healthy diet every day, drinking water, exercising regularly, and stopping smoking.
- Medicine: Medicines can help many people but definitely under the supervision of experienced surgeons.
- Device implant in the chest: A chest device can help to control heart rhythm of heart failure patients.
- Surgery: Bypass surgery and heart transplant action could be taken as heart failure surgery. Bypass surgery is the most popular heart failure surgery in the country.
Prevention of heart failure?
Preventing heart failure by living a healthy lifestyle is the most important thing and it helps a lot to prevent heart failure. Here are a few heart-healthy tips:
- Maintain weight according to age.
- Eat healthy food daily and water.
- Reduce and manage stress as much as possible.
- Don’t smoke at all.
- Do half an hour exercise regularly.
- Take supplement medicines as directed.
Though surgery or medicine is solution or treatment of heart failure but if we lead a healthy lifestyle eating healthy foods and water and regularly doing exercise then its possible to easily avoid cardiac problems or heart failure and surely its an only healthy way to keep our body fit and safe.
