Heart Failure

No matter what’s causing your heart failure, you’ll have a team of dedicated specialists and a treatment plan customized for you.

Over and over, we hear from our heart failure patients that they’re impressed by the scope and expertise of their care team.

• Cardiologists lead your diagnostic testing and the development of your treatment plan.
• Heart surgeons evaluate you for surgical therapies, such as LVAD or heart transplant.
• Electrophysiologists specialize in regulating your heart rhythm.
• Nurse coordinators help with your initial evaluation and coordinate your care. They also monitor your symptoms and help you learn how to manage your heart failure.
• A pharmacist who specializes in heart failure reviews your medications. They monitor you closely for side effects or drug interactions.
• Palliative care specialists help manage your symptoms so you have the best possible quality of life.
• Social workers can help you deal with the emotional impact of heart failure. They also work with you on setting and meeting your goals for care.
• Dietitians help you make lasting lifestyle changes like cutting the amount of salt in your diet.

Your team follows you closely to make sure you’re getting the best results. They’re always available to talk about your treatment and answer questions.

The earlier your heart failure is diagnosed, the better the odds of slowing down its progression.

We diagnose heart failure using tests that include:

• Blood tests
• Cardiac catheterization
• Cardiac MRI
• Chest X-rays
• Echocardiogram
• Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)
• Exercise stress test

If your heart failure is in an early stage, your treatment plan might focus on diet and exercise, medications, and monitoring. Your team will work closely with you to create your plan and help you follow it.

Some of the underlying conditions that cause heart failure or make it worse are treatable with procedures or devices, including:

• Angioplasty or bypass surgery to open narrowed blood vessels
• A pacemaker, implantable cardiac defibrillator, or cardiac ablation to correct arrhythmia
• Heart valve repair or replacement

There are two surgical options for treating end-stage heart failure:

• Heart transplant
• A left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that can support your heart while you wait for transplant or can be a long-term solution if a transplant isn’t right for you