Are there any medications I need to avoid if I have heart failure?
If you have heart failure, it is important to avoid NSAID pain relievers. These medications have been shown to increase symptoms of heart failure and can lead to an increased amount of sodium and water in your body. NSAIDs may be obtained over the counter (OTC) or by prescription. Common NSAIDs to avoid include: Diclofenac (Voltaren) Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) Naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn) Celecoxib (Celebrex) …
What is implantable hemodynamic monitoring and how can it help?
Symptoms related to lung congestion are the most common factor driving hospitalization in patients with heart failure. Daily weight monitoring is one way to track fluid retention, but since many factors can affect your weight, this is a relatively crude measure. Devices are now available to more directly track the pressures in your heart, which are tightly linked to the amount of excess fluid you have on board. Access to this pressure data can…
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)
What is cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and how can it help? People with advanced heart failure sometimes incur damage to their electrical conduction cells, causing a delay in the spread of electrical activity through the heart. These abnormalities show up as distinctive patterns on ECG tracings and can be corrected with a standard one-lead pacemaker or a dual-lead device that stimulates both the right atrium and the right ventricle. However, evidence suggests that…
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs)
An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) detects and automatically corrects abnormal, potentially deadly heart rhythms.
Can heart failure be reversed with surgery?
No surgical procedure can reverse heart failure. However, surgery may be done to treat an underlying condition that is contributing to heart failure. This, in turn, may help to improve symptoms and help your heart pump more effectively. For example, heart failure can be caused by a stiff or leaky aortic or mitral valve. Normally, oxygen-rich blood travels from the heart, through the valves, and out to the rest of the body. But if…
Do I need a heart transplant?
Once considered risky and experimental, heart transplantation is now considered the treatment of choice for many people with severe heart failure. More than 2,000 heart transplants are performed annually in the United States. But because there are far more patients who need transplants than available donor hearts, the waiting lists for heart transplant are quite long. The principal challenge in heart transplantation is preventing the bodys immune system from attacking the donor heart (rejection),…
What is a ventricular assist device (VAD) and how can it help?
A ventricular assist device, or VAD, is an electronic heart pump implanted in the chest to support the pumping of one or both ventricles. These devices were originally developed to temporarily support patients with worsening heart failure during the wait for a heart transplant donor. Although they are still utilized for this purpose, VADs are increasingly used in patients whose heart failure has progressed to the end stage but are not eligible for heart…
What are some strategies that will help me take my medications as directed?
Most people with heart failure take three, four, even five or more medicines each day. Keeping track of so many pills is daunting, to say the least. And yet, its hard to overemphasize the importance of taking heart failure medications as directed. Failing to take medications as prescribed is one of the primary reasons people with heart failure are hospitalized. …
What should I do if I experience side effects from my medications?
If you experience side effects from your medications, tell your provider. Many side effects can be remedied by changing the timing or dose of your medicine or switching to a different drug in the same class. Do not stop taking any medication without first talking to your clinician. …
Why is it important for me to take my medications as directed?
Taking your medications as prescribed, or medication adherence, is particularly important for heart failure. Failing to take heart failure medications as directed can lead to worsening of symptoms, hospitalization, and shortened lifespan. Yet side effects, cost, and even simple forgetfulness can interfere with medication adherence. Understanding why your provider has prescribed a particular medication, and making sure youre armed with the information you need to take it as directed, can help you stick to…
Why do I need all these medications?
Taking your medicines as prescribed is perhaps the single most important thing you can do to help yourself feel better, avoid hospitalization, and live longer. Most people with heart failure require a three-drug regimen: an angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB), or a newer medication known as an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), to relax the blood vessels a beta blocker to reduce the hearts workload a diuretic to help the body eliminate…
