Heart Failure

Heart Failure

You are the most influential force in the treatment of your heart failure. Educate yourself, stay on top of your recovery and treatment – managing your daily activity, exercise, lifestyle and health habits, family support, medicines and diet. Your doctors, nurses and your family all play vital roles in your health care, but without your active participation, they can only do so much.  You will make all the difference.

What is Heart Failure?

Heart failure means that your heart is weak and its pumping power is reduced.

A normal healthy heart can pump blood to the body to meet even strenuous demands. Circulating blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissues, and removes waste products. A weakened heart muscle has difficulty performing this task, which leads to fluid (water) back up in the lungs and other parts of the body such as the feet, ankles, legs, hands and abdomen. Fluid retention then makes pumping even more difficult.  The body needs blood constantly pumped through it, carrying oxygen and other nutrients to bones, nerves and organs.  When pumping slows down, the rest of the body does not get what it needs to work well and puts even more demands on the already weakened heart. 

What Does the Future Hold? 

More than two million Americans have heart failure, and about 700,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The five-year survival is approximately 50 percent, but varies greatly for each individual depending on the cause of heart failure and other factors. The good news is that many of the hospitalizations that occur each year can be prevented, with early evaluation and care. Many people are able to make changes to their lifestyle and live an active life with heart failure.