Cardiovascular Associates provides a high standard of care in both the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure. An individual plan of care for each patient provides innovative strategies based on current research and focuses on a holistic approach. Our goal is to reduce heart failure symptoms and lessen the amount of time you are hospitalized, all which improve quality of life.

Heart failure means that the heart is weak or compromised and the pumping power is reduced. A normal healthy heart can pump blood to the body to meet even strenuous demands. The circulating blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removes waste products. A weakened pump has difficulty performing this task, therefore fluid backs up in the lungs (congestion) and other parts of the body such as the feet, ankles, legs, hands and abdomen. Other symptoms may be coughing, shortness of breath and fatigue. The more damaged the heart muscle, the more severe the heart failure will be, and the frequency and severity of the symptoms may also indicate your stage of heart failure.

Symptoms often develop slowly because the body can compensate for early effects of the disease, therefore the heart's function may diminish significantly without noticeable new symptoms. Identifying individuals who are at risk of developing heart failure may lead to early detection and prevent the progressive decrease in the heart’s pumping function.

Risk factors for congestive heart failure include:

• Heart attacks
• Uncontrolled or long-standing high blood pressure
• Viral or bacterial infections
• Complications during pregnancy
• Chronic alcohol abuse
• Damage to the mitral and aortic valves
• Aortic valve disease

Cardiovascular Associates’ physicians diagnose congestive heart failure by obtaining thorough and extensive medical history and a physical exams. Comprehensive testing to confirm the diagnosis is available in our testing center. Based on the findings, treatment recommendations.

May include:

• Lifestyle changes
• Medications
• Valve repair of replacement
• Bypass surgery or angioplasty
• Biventricular cardiac pacemaker
• Mechanical cardiac assist devices
• Heart transplant

Active participation by the patient and the patient's family strongly affects the overall outcome and improvement in quality of life. Therefore education about all aspects of heart failure and its ongoing care are emphasized through our educational programs.