What is congestive heart failure?
Congestive heart failure (CHF), often referred to simply as heart failure, occurs when your heart isn’t pumping blood as well as it should.
Congestive heart failure can happen slowly over time (chronic), or quickly (acute), depending on the cause. CHF is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that can lead to cardiac arrest.
Possible causes of congestive heart failure include:
- Coronary artery disease (CAD)
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Faulty heart valves
- Cardiomyopathy (damage to the heart muscle)
- Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle)
- Congenital heart defects
- Heart arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms)
- Smoking or excessive alcohol consumption
Acute congestive heart failure typically arises following a heart infection, pulmonary embolism, allergic reaction, or as a side effect of medications.
What are the symptoms of congestive heart failure?
Numerous symptoms could indicate congestive heart failure, including:
- Irregular or rapid heartbeat
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Swollen feet and ankles
- Shortness of breath when exercising or laying down
- Coughing up blood-tinged phlegm
- Wheezing
- Having to urinate more often during the night
- Abdominal swelling (ascites)
- Rapid weight gain due to fluid retention
- Nausea and loss of appetite
- Cognitive difficulties
- Chest pain, which could indicate a heart attack
You can reduce your chances of developing congestive heart failure by making changes to your lifestyle and adopting healthier habits. Quitting smoking, exercising regularly and watching your weight, eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and finding ways to manage stress all contribute significantly to reducing your risk of congestive heart failure.
What treatments are available for congestive heart failure?
There are a variety of medications the team at Verma Health can use to help treat congestive heart failure, including:
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
- Angiotensin II receptor blockers
- Beta-blockers
- Diuretics
- Aldosterone antagonists
- Inotropes
- Digoxin (digitalis)
- Nitrates
- Statins
- Blood thinners
The team at Verma Health has extensive experience in using the right combination of medications to optimize patient health and prolong life expectancy. They can recommend medications from this list for you to use separately or in combination to suit your specific requirements, based on the cause of your congestive heart failure and how much damage there is to the heart.
You may be a suitable candidate for corrective heart surgery, which the specialist cardiologists at Verma Health can discuss with you. Surgical options include:
- Repairing a faulty heart valve
- Performing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG)
- Fitting a biventricular pacemaker
- Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)
- Ventricular assist device (VAD)
If you have any symptoms that could suggest congestive heart failure, you should visit Verma Health as soon as possible to find out what’s causing them and to start on an appropriate course of treatment. Call the practice today to schedule your consultation, or book an appointment online.
