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| Congestive Heart Failure |
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 Congestive heart failure is a chronic condition in which your heart gradually becomes weakened and cannot pump an adequate amount of blood through your body. Although its cause is not always known, congestive heart failure has a variety of known causes, such as a previous heart attack and high blood pressure. When the heart muscle is damaged in cases like these, there is a decrease in pumping capacity, which causes the kidneys to retain sodium and water. When this occurs, the water retained may accumulate in your ankles, abdomen or lungs. The excess water in the lungs may cause a potentially serious problem called pulmonary edema. It often requires hospitalization to manage.
Heart failure is a disease that is more common in the elderly. Approximately 10 percent of people over age 75 suffer from heart failure. The total cost for treatment of heart failure exceeds $38 billion dollars annually, including more than $20 billion in hospital days alone. The financial costs pale in comparison to the toll this disease takes on affected individuals. Heart failure patients are greatly impacted by the disease, having to deal with limitations on their breathing, mobility and their general quality of life.
The solution to heart failure lies in the Heart Failure Treatment Centers, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Centers use a collaborative team approach to treating heart failure, bringing together the latest technology available and the very best experts from The University Hospital, the Health Alliance and the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine. In addition, physicians at the Heart Failure Treatment Centers care for patients on an outpatient basis to reduce hospital admissions. Doing so improves the quality of life, activity tolerance and survival for patients. For more information about the Heart Failure Treatment Centers, see Treatment for Congestive Heart Failure or call the Center at (513) 584-7217.
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| Risk Factors of Congestive Heart Failure |
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Any conditions or diseases that deteriorate or weaken the heart may lead to congestive heart failure. Therefore, if you have a heart condition like the ones listed below, you are at greater risk for congestive heart failure. Also, if your family has a history of congestive heart failure, you may be more likely to develop it as well. Heart conditions that may lead to congestive heart failure include:- Infections in the heart
- Valvular heart disease from rheumatic fever or congenital defects
- Heart attacks
- High blood pressure
- Cardiomyopathy
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| Symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure |
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Because the primary symptom of congestive heart failure is water retention, you should watch for symptoms that are indicators of sodium and water retention. These symptoms include:- Swelling in the ankles, knees or abdomen
- Water retention in the lungs
- Sudden awakening from sleep with shortness of breath (paroxysmal nocturnal dyspmea, or PMD), due to excessive water entering the lungs while lying down
- The need to prop yourself up at night to prevent shortness of breath
- A significant decline in your exercise capacity
- Increased weight gain
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| Treatment |
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| Traditional therapy has fallen short, and many heart failure patients are not receiving the standard of care they need to improve the quality of their lives. However, the Heart Failure Treatment Centers in Cincinnati provide the most current clinical treatment, research and expert care available. Using tools developed at The University Hospital and UC College of Medicine, the Centers work in partnership with hospitals and physician practices throughout the Tristate. Experts at the Heart Failure Treatment Centers assist community partners with patient care and access to cutting-edge therapies, teach clinicians in the field about the latest treatment options for heart failure patients and act as a community resource for Greater Cincinnati.
The Heart Failure Treatment Centers also provide patients with a multidisciplinary team approach to treating heart failure. Patients at the Centers receive expert care from physicians, advanced practice nurses, nurse coordinators/case managers, dietitians, psychologists, pharmacists and exercise physiologists, all specialists in the treatment of heart failure. This team is headed by the patient's primary care physician, who is kept abreast of the patient's treatment and involved in medical decisions whenever possible.
Because many patients are not responsive to traditional drug therapy, other more modern therapies must be used to treat congestive heart failure. The Heart Failure Treatment Centers offer a number of advanced therapies including:
- Promising drugs and devices that are not currently available through most physician offices.
- Implantable "left ventricular assist devices," mechanisms used in extremely advanced heart failure cases to help your heart pump more effectively.
- The nation's first implantable cardiac stimulator developed specifically for the treatment of heart failure.
- Heart transplantation at The University Hospital, Greater Cincinnati's only heart transplant program.
- A regimen of prescription drugs, including ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers.
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| Frequently Asked Questions |
| There are several cutting-edge treatments and devices that can be used to treat congestive heart failure. Click on the drop-down menu above to learn more. |
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