Your Healthcare Team: Doctors Who Diagnose and Treat Heart Failure...Heart failure (HF) is a syndrome with signs and symptoms caused by the heart not functioning properly. HF can affect the length and quality of a person’s life. It is...
Medications for Heart Failure...Heart failure (HF) is managed with a combination of lifestyle changes and medicines. Some medicines may treat underlying causes of HF. Or they may treat other medical conditions that affect...
Valve Replacement...The heart pumps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood out to the tissues and removes waste from the bloodstream throughout the body. Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart. Veins carry blood...
Heart Failure Survival and Life Expectancy...Nearly half of all adults in the United States have cardiovascular disease, which means disease of the heart (cardio) and blood vessels (vascular). Heart failure (HF) is 1 type of...
What Is the Stigma of Heart Disease?...Do you smoke? Are you overweight? Physically inactive? Eat a lot of fast food? If the answer is yes to one or more of these questions you may have felt...
What Is Reduced Ejection Fraction?...Heart failure (HF) is a condition where your heart cannot pump blood through your body well enough. When the heart is strained, blood and fluid build up in the body...
What Is Preserved Ejection Fraction?...Ejection fraction (EF) measures the percentage of blood pumped out of the heart’s left ventricle each time it beats. The left ventricle is a heart muscle that contracts and relaxes...
What Is a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)?...A ventricular assist device (VAD) is a mechanical pump that assists the heart to pump blood from the ventricles, the lower chambers of the heart, out to the body in...
What Is Heart Failure?...Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome with physiological signs and symptoms that develop when the heart is not functioning properly. A heart failure diagnosis, according to established guidelines, is...
What Is Ejection Fraction?...There are different types of heart failure. They are classified by which part of the heart is affected and characteristics including symptoms. The heart is a muscle that contracts and...
Digoxin...Digoxin is a type of drug used to treat certain heart problems, including mild to moderate heart failure. Digoxin increases left ventricular ejection fraction and improves heart failure symptoms. Digoxin...
Decompensated Heart Failure...Decompensated heart failure, also called acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), occurs mostly in people with preexisting heart failure, although some cases are patients newly diagnosed with heart failure. ADHF means...
What Is Congestive Heart Failure?...Congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic heart failure are terms that are both used to describe heart failure (HF). The predominant symptom of heart failure is congestion. Congestion is caused...
Cardiac Catheterization and Stents/Coronary Artery Bypass...Cardiac catheterization is both a diagnostic and procedural technique used to help cardiologists identify how well the heart is working. It is also used to look for certain kinds of...
Heart Transplant...A heart transplant is a major surgery during which a failing, diseased heart is replaced by a healthy donor heart. A heart transplant is the only cure for end-stage heart...
What Is a Heart-Healthy Diet?...A healthy diet has different meanings for different people. A healthy diet can vary based on where in the world you live, any medical conditions or allergies you have, as...
What Does Medicare Cover?...Medicare is the federal health insurance program designed for people in the US who are age 65 or older. It is available to a small group of younger people -...
What Are Types of Heart Failure?...Heart failure (HF) is when the heart no longer functions properly. It leads to symptoms of chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and body swelling. The symptoms of HF can severely...
Heart Failure Classifications...Heart failure (HF) is a condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Understanding its stages and classifications can help you get the right diagnosis and treatment. Heart failure can be...
Surgery for Heart Failure...After a heart failure (HF) diagnosis, your doctor will try to find the cause. This can help suggest the right treatment for your situation. Lifestyle changes and medicines are usually...