What is Heart Failure?
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Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. In some cases, the heart can’t fill with enough blood. In other cases, the heart can’t pump blood to the rest of the body with enough force. Some people have both problems. What Causes Heart Failure? By themselves the signs of heart failure may not mean the patient has heart failure and he/ she should not be alarmed. However, people who have not been diagnosed with heart failure and experience more than one of the symptoms below should tell their doctor and ask for an evaluation of their heart. People who have been diagnosed with heart failure should monitor their symptoms carefully and report any sudden changes to their doctor immediately.
By far the main symptom is extreme fatigue. The patient is not getting enough blood pumped from the heart to hiss her muscles. The body diverts blood away from less vital organs – muscles in the limbs and focuses on supplying to the heart and brain. The following conditions can cause heart failure: Heart valve disease Coronary artery disease Diabetes mellitus Kidney failure Heart muscle disease Anaemia Hypertension Chronic lung disease Heart rhythm abnormalities (atrial fibrillation etc.)
What to do incase of Heart Failure The patient may know about his heart failure when he has the symptoms (breathlessness, swelling, fatigue) for the first time. Once they are evaluated and diagnosed to have heart failure they are put on drugs the necessary medication. Depending upon patient to patient they may remain symptoms tree or may have minimal symptoms for months or years if they are on regular medication. Some may recover also. Once they start having worsening of symptoms even on medical therapy, they will require frequent hospitalisation.
From this point they may deteriorate rapidly which can lead to death or progress to a stage where further therapy (Transplant/ LVAD) cannot be done. Hence, it is advised to contact the hospital that can perform transplant] LVAD immediately once the worsening of their symptom starts.
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