What is heart failure?
Heart failure is a condition that develops when the heart’s muscle becomes weakened after it is injured from something like a heart attack or blood pressure, and loses its ability to pump enough blood to supply the body’s needs.

It is a very common disease and effects nearly 5 million Americans and an estimated 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

What are the warning signs and symptoms of heart failure?
There is an acronym that will help you remember the symptoms of heart failure: F.A.C.E.S.
F for fatigue | A for activities limited | C for chest congestion | E for edema or ankle swelling | S for shortness of breath.

How is heart failure detected?
The most common method of diagnosing cardiomyopathy is an electrocardiogram (EKG) and a chest x-ray. An EKG measures the electrical activity of your heart and a chest x-ray takes a picture of your heart to examine its configuration and size. Other imaging tests that may be ordered are as follows:

• Echocardiogram, or "echo": they will be looking for an ejec
• BNP: a new blood test for heart failure

What are the treatment options for heart failure?
There is currently no cure but early diagnosis and proper treatment can significantly slow the progression of the disease, keep you out of the hospital, make you feel better and extend your life.

Sutter has a leading edge Heart Failure Program which includes a telemanagement program, and a multidisciplinary team clinic.

Medications
Depending on the type and severity of your heart failure, your doctor may use the following medications:

• Diuretics or "water pills" decrease fluid retention and reduce swelling
• Digoxin improves heart strength in some people
• Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors dilate or widen blood vessels; increase blood flow, and block hormones harmful to the heart and blood vessels
• Adrenergic Receptive Blockers (Beta Blockers) help strengthen the heart’s pumping action; block the body’s response to substances which can damage the heart
• Aldosterone Receptor Blockers (ARBs) reduce scarring and stiffening of the heart and blood vessels
  

Surgery
Heart failure is a progressive disease that can worsen over time without treatment. Sometimes, surgical intervention helps. Some surgeries involve removal of damaged heart muscle, repair of damaged valves, or surgery to correct blocked arteries. In extreme cases, heart transplantation may be necessary, whereby surgeons remove your damaged heart and replace it with a human heart from an organ donor. Heart transplantation is highly specialized, and Sutter is at the leading edge of heart transplantation with some of the best outcomes in the United States.

Pacemaker Therapy
Some types of heart failure can be improved by pacemakers which enhance the timing and vigor of the way the heart beats. Some can correct lethal arrhythmias which are more common in heart failure. These and other devices are being used more commonly in the treatment of heart failure.