Congestive Heart Failure Specialist

What is congestive heart failure?

Congestive heart failure (CHF) develops when your heart is too weak to pump adequate quantities of blood through your body. If you have systolic heart failure, your heart isn't contracting as it should when it beats. With diastolic heart failure, your heart can't relax between beats.

If there isn't enough blood going through your heart, the rest of your body doesn't get the oxygen and nutrients it needs. Blood may also start collecting in your legs, lungs, and digestive tract, causing further complications.

Congestive heart failure is often a result of coronary artery disease (CAD) or conditions like pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the blood vessels serving your lungs). 

Other potential causes of congestive heart failure include arrhythmia, valve disorders, structural heart abnormalities, and tumors in your heart.

What symptoms does congestive heart failure cause?

Congestive heart failure symptoms may include:

• Palpitations
• Shortness of breath
• Difficulty sleeping
• Bulging neck veins
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Urinating less often

Your arms, legs, and abdomen might become swollen, and your legs may feel chilled if you stay still. In some cases, patients have very few symptoms.

How is congestive heart failure diagnosed?

To diagnose congestive heart failure, the team at Pinnacle Healthcare System performs a comprehensive evaluation. 

They look at your medical and family history, discuss your current symptoms, and listen to your heart using a stethoscope. They also measure your blood pressure and take a blood sample for testing.

Other needed tests for the diagnosis of congestive heart failure include:

• Electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Echocardiogram
• Holter monitoring
• Stress testing
• Electrophysiologic testing (EP study)

By determining the underlying cause of your arrhythmia, the Pinnacle Healthcare System team can prescribe the most effective treatment.

How is congestive heart failure treated?

Treatments for congestive heart failure could include:

Lifestyle modifications

Eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising regularly, stopping smoking, and losing weight can all help to improve your health and prevent congestive heart failure from getting any worse.

Medications

Medications work in different ways to improve your heart function and combat the symptoms congestive heart failure causes.

Possible medicines include digoxin, which makes your heart muscle contract more effectively, ACE (angiotensin-converting-enzyme) inhibitors that lower your blood pressure, and diuretics to reduce fluid buildup in your tissues.

Implantable devices

You might need an implantable device such as a pacemaker or defibrillator to enable your heart to function adequately.

If you have congestive heart failure symptoms, call Pinnacle Healthcare System or schedule an appointment online today.