How To Get A Heart Attack

Signs and Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure

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Congestive heart failure is the leading cause of death in Americans over the age of 60, according to John Hopkins. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that approximately 5.7 million adults in the United States have heart failure and roughly half of those people will die within 5 years of diagnosis.

Congestive heart failure occurs when the heart doesn't pump enough oxygen to the other organs, reducing the blood flow and creating a congestion of blood in the lungs. This often happens towards the end stages of cardiovascular conditions.

It is vital to be able to recognize congestive heart failure signs and promptly visit a doctor who will then run various tests and create a treatment plan that suits your situation.

Warning Signs

Some of the causes of congestive heart failure can be caused by conditions such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart valve issues, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, anemia and diabetes.

Heart failure symptoms may consist of things such as:

Shortness of breath
Fatigue and weakness
Swelling in legs, ankles and/or feet
Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Rapid weight gain

These are just some of the heart failure warning signs that should be noted. It is recommended to talk to your doctor if you think you are at risk of heart failure.

If there is any experience of severe weakness or chest pain, sudden shortness of breath or coughing up of pink, foamy mucus, seek emergency treatment right away.

Tests

Doctors will often run a number of tests to try and detect what exactly the issues are and how best to treat it. Some of the tests they may run are chest x-rays, echocardiogram (EKG) or electrocardiogram (ECG), stress test or a computerized tomography (CT). The Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) test is used for heart failure assessment and can recognize heart failure over 80% of the time. It can also detect if it has worsened and what treatment is best going forward.

Treatment: General

Unfortunately, not all heart failure treatment can reverse the damage that has been done, but they can improve symptoms and help to prevent and control conditions that cause heart failures such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.

Often doctors will prescribe drugs such as cholesterol modifying medication or beta blockers that help slow the heart rate down and lower blood pressure. Nitroglycerin is also common as it helps control chest pain.

In patients where the condition has dramatically advanced, doctors may choose to head down the surgery route and do an Angioplasty and stent placement or perhaps a coronary artery bypass surgery.

Treatment: Diet and Exercise

One of the best ways to avoid getting congestive heart failure is through diet and exercise. Those that are overweight should talk to their doctor about creating a healthy cardiovascular exercise program, which will help them lose the excess weight and main the healthy new one.

Reducing stress is also vital as stress increases blood pressure, which creates extra work for the heart. Diet though is one of the key areas in an effective treatment plan. Aim to reduce salt (sodium) and limit it to 2 grams a day, and find foods that are high in fiber as well as low in high trans fat, cholesterol and sugar.

Final Stages

Sometimes though, medication and diet and exercise aren't enough and final stages of heart failure start appearing. Symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, coughing urination and swelling start occurring more frequently and to a greater degree. Eating becomes a chore and sitting can be exhausting. The heart is finding it more difficult to move the blood through the body and eventually builds up around the ankles, feet, legs, and belly. Weight increases as the fluid in these areas build up. If you are feeling any of these symptoms, make sure to contact 9-1-1 right away.