Heart failure, sometimes referred to as congestive heart failure, is a very serious condition. Your heart acts like a pump that forces blood to flow throughout your body. When you experience heart failure, the pump, your heart, gives out and is unable to force adequate amounts of blood to various parts of your body. When this happens, blood will start to collect in your lungs and lower extremities because your heart is not strong enough to make it flow against gravity.
Heart failure does not mean that your heart completely gives out. Instead, it simply is not strong enough to continue working at peak performance. Therefore, the goal of treatment is to supplement or strengthen your heart to ensure your blood gets to where it needs to go. Heart failure is a slowly progressing condition, and your exact treatment will depend on the severity of your condition and the type of heart failure you are experiencing.
Regardless of what stage or how severe your heart failure is, medications will often be an important part of the treatment.
Beta-blockers, such as carvedilol, help strengthen your heart by reducing your blood pressure and the amount of adrenaline in your system.
ARBs, such as azilsartan and eprosartan, help lower your blood pressure by widening your arteries and veins. The wider your veins are, the easier it is for blood to flow through them.
Diuretics, such as Aldactone and enalapril, force you to urinate more frequently, which is necessary to remove excess fluid from the body. As your kidneys are forcing liquid out of the body, it lowers your blood pressure and makes it easier for blood to flow through your veins.
ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors help relax your arteries and veins, which helps to reduce your blood pressure. Benazepril, captopril, and moexipril are some of the most common ACE inhibitors for heart failure.
Digoxin is a drug specifically created to help treat heart failure. It does this by slowing down your heart rate, making it easier for the heart to squeeze and pump blood, and reducing heart failure symptoms.
Vericiguat is another drug created specifically for heart failure, specifically chronic heart failure. It works by strengthening the heart and helping it pump at maximum capacity. However, because it is a fairly new drug, there is still a lot that experts do not know about the side effects and its effectiveness.
In addition to medications, you can also undergo a surgical operation to treat heart failure. Because surgery is more intense, it is often reserved for moderate to severe heart failure.
If your heart failure is being caused by a blocked artery, you may need a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft. This procedure will involve installing a new artery so that blood can flow around the blocked one.
Certain types of heart failure can benefit from having a device installed in your body to help your heart pump. These devices, known as ventricular assist devices or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, help the heart beat at a steady, strong rate so it can effectively pump blood.
If worst comes to worst and your heart is on the verge of giving out completely, you will need a heart transplant. During this procedure, your heart is removed, and a new one from a donor is installed in its place.
In early-stage heart failure, it may be possible to strengthen your heart naturally. By eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising daily, and avoiding drugs and alcohol, you may be able to get your heart working at peak performance.
In years past, heart failure was a death sentence because there were not any medications or procedures that could help. While heart failure remains a very serious condition, there are treatments available that can improve your condition.