Heart Failure

What is heart failure?

Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure, develops when weak or damaged heart muscles can’t pump enough oxygen-rich blood through your heart and out to your body. The heart may not be able to fill up with enough blood, or the muscles may not be strong enough to force blood out of the heart.

What causes heart failure?

Heart failure builds gradually due to conditions such as:

• Coronary artery disease
• Hypertension
• Heart valve disease
• Heart muscle inflammation (myocarditis)
• Irregular heartbeat (heart arrhythmias)
• Thyroid disease
• Diabetes
• Obesity

Sleep apnea, alcohol or drug abuse, and certain medications increase your risk of developing heart failure.

What symptoms develop if I have heart failure?

You may experience one or more of the following heart failure symptoms:

• Fatigue and weakness
• Shortness of breath during normal daily movement
• Swelling in your legs, ankles, and feet  
• Swelling in your abdomen
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Difficulty exercising
• Persistent cough that’s worse when lying down
• Increased need to urinate at night
• Loss of appetite

The type of swelling that occurs in your body, called edema, is due to the buildup of fluids.

How is heart failure treated?

Your provider at Upper East Side Cardiology may do one of several diagnostic tests in the office, such as an electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, stress test, or Doppler ultrasound.

Then they develop an individualized treatment plan that has three primary goals: treating any underlying health conditions, alleviating your symptoms, and preventing your heart failure from getting worse.

You may need to change your diet, get more exercise, or take one of many medications. For example, your provider may prescribe medications to lower your blood pressure, relax your blood vessels, reduce blood volume, slow down your heart rate, or strengthen your heartbeat.

Will I need surgery to treat heart failure?

Several conditions may need minimally invasive surgery. These are a few examples.

If your heart failure is caused by a valve problem or blocked coronary arteries, your provider at Upper East Side Cardiology may recommend an interventional procedure to take care of the underlying condition.

You may need an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator to stabilize the heart’s electrical system. Or your provider may recommend implanting a ventricular assist device, which pumps blood out of your heart.

If you have questions about heart failure or you need to schedule an appointment, call Upper East Side Cardiology or schedule an appointment online today.