Congestive heart failure, also known as heart failure, has become a major health problem
in the United States.
This type of heart disease affects millions of Americans and is often associated with
debilitating symptoms.
Additionally, the mortality rate for heart failure is higher than most forms of cancer.
A diagnosis of heart failure can be overwhelming, but our experts are here to assist you with
a plan to improve your symptoms and better manage this disease.
With proper expert care, damaged hearts can often be made better again and patients can
achieve success with heart failure.
This video series offers guidance on living with heart failure and has been compiled by
our experts here at Ohio State's Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital.
These short videos will discuss signs and symptoms, diet and sodium intake, weight management,
medications, exercise and goal planning.
We aim to provide you with basic education about this disease and how to better care
for yourself once you leave the hospital.
Our goal is to keep you feeling well.
Your heart's primary job is to pump blood to all parts of your body, similar to the
sump pump.
When your heart is strong and is working effectively, the pump is able to keep up with the demands
of the body, whether you're at rest or even during times when your body needs more blood
flow, such as exercise.
When a pump or in this case, your heart, is not working its best it may not be able to
keep up with the demands and fluid starts to back up or flood the areas around it.
When this happens in your body, fluid begins to settle in places like your lungs, belly
and legs.
This extra fluid in your body may cause you to feel swollen, tired and short of breath.
People with early stages of heart failure may only feel these symptoms when exerting
themselves, but if the pump function worsens, the person may feel worse even at rest.
Heart failure differs from another important type of heart disease, also known as a heart
attack or what we call acute coronary syndrome.
A heart attack involves a blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the heart and
can lead to death of the muscle.
Heart failure on the other hand, often develops after a person has survived a heart attack
or has high blood pressure for many years.
There are many other causes of heart failure, but the end result affects your heart in a
similar way and makes your body feel the same too.
The human heart doesn't really look like the hearts we're used to seeing in cards and on
Valentine's Day.
Your heart is actually shaped more like a football, something we know quite a bit about
here at Ohio State.
Unfortunately, with damage to your heart, it may start to become round like a basketball
and begin to lose some of its squeezing strength.
Your healthcare provider may call this systolic dysfunction.
That simply means not enough blood is being pumped out per heartbeat and blood begins
to overload the pump.
Another type of heart failure is called diastolic dysfunction.
This type of heart failure also causes blood to back up your pump but it's because the
muscle has become stiff or scarred and it won't allow enough blood to fill the heart
before it squeezes.
You may hear a term called ejection fraction or EF.
This is a percentage of how much blood your heart squeezes out with each beat.
We like to measure your EF frequently so that we know how well your heart is performing.
Just like your blood pressure and weight, it is important for you to know your EF so
you can equate how well your heart is working with how you are feeling overall.
We highly encourage you to become an active participant in managing your heart disease
and your own health.
And part of that is monitoring any progress or setbacks.
Part of our job is to work with you and educate you about the importance of taking charge
of your heart disease so that you can feel your best and help achieve your goals and
plans for the future.
The following steps with be described in much more detail in the upcoming videos but I wanted
to give you a head start on what you can expect.
Taking your medications as instructed is extremely important.
Every time you see a doctor or nurse practitioner or leave the hospital, your medications may
change so make sure it is clear which medications have been stopped or if any new medications
have been added.
It is also very important to take medications whether you're feeling well or not to protect
your heart and keep excess fluid out of the body.
To keep you feeling your best, we must have good communication.
This means keeping all scheduled appointments and letting us know if things have gotten
worse in between visits.
As our patient, we'll make sure you have our names and contact numbers at all times so
you can keep us updated.
Call your nurse or doctor right away if you have any of the following signs: shortness
of breath, especially when lying flat, tightness or pain in your chest, dizziness or fainting,
increasing tiredness, more than usual foot, ankle or belly swelling or if your clothes
feel tight, nausea or lack of appetite or very fast or slow pulse or heart rate.
We'll talk more about your weight too but weighing yourself daily is one of the most
important ways to know how much fluid your body is holding onto.
You'll be asked to record your weight daily at home and if your weight increases a few
pounds from the day before or five pounds in a week, we want you to let us know.
We know how difficult this recommendation can be, however, by reducing your sodium or
salt intake and limiting your fluids, you will limit the swelling in your body and likelihood
of having to see your doctor, or nurse or even come to the hospital.
We'll provide you with all of the tips to making healthy food choices and a guide to
monitoring your water and fluid intake.
You may not always feel up to exercising, especially if you're in the hospital but staying
active is always important.
If you have recently left the hospital you should check with your doctor to see what
level and type of activity would be best.
Our team will also provide you with exercises and a program that is safe and individualized
to your needs and level of health.
We will also need for you address some personal life choices because they are important in
your overall health and heart health.
If you are a cigarette smoker, we would like to help you quit.
Please let us know if you are ready and willing to make the choice and we'll support you with
all means necessary to do so.
Also, if you drink alcohol, we encourage you to limit your intake or stop completely.
Whether you are at the hospital or at home, our goal is to keep you feeling your best.
When you are at the hospital, we often need to help your body and heart get rid of the
extra fluid that is causing your congestion.
Our experts will decide which medications will work best for your heart, along with
any other procedures or devices that may reduce your risk of dying from this disease.
When you're ready to leave the hospital, our team will do our best to make this a smooth
transition whether you're going home or to another facility for continued care or rehabilitation.
Heart failure is a challenging and complicated disease.
It is important that you view all of the videos from our team of specialists to learn more
about heart failure, caring for yourself and improving your life.