What is heart failure?
Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle is too weak or too
stiff to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
As a result, extra fluid may back up into the lungs, abdomen
and/or legs. All of this
extra fluid causes many of the symptoms of heart failure such
as shortness of breath, leg or abdominal swelling, and lack
of energy.
What is a heart failure clinic?
Unfortunately, many patients with heart failure do not receive
all the treatments that are available to help them. Starting
these treatments, titrating medications to their optimum
doses, and providing the education patients with heart failure
need can be very time consuming. Our clinic is designed
to meet these challenges.
Patients treated in a heart failure
clinic have been shown to have:
- Fewer hospitalizations
- Better quality of living
- Better understanding of their
condition
Initially, you may be asked to
come to our office or communicate with our specialized
staff quite frequently. You will meet with an advanced
practice nurse, physician assistant, or physician.
We work together as a team with your primary cardiologist
and your family physician. We will spend the necessary
time teaching you and your family how to manage your
heart failure. We will also be adjusting your medications
so you get the most benefit from them. We will monitor
your response to the medications closely.
Once you are on a stable course of therapy, we will schedule
office visits based on your individual needs. You will still
see your primary cardiologist who will monitor your progress
and oversee your care.
What are the goals of our Heart Failure
Clinic?
- To work with and support you and your family
as you learn to better understand and manage your heart
failure.
- To get you on the best
possible combination of therapies and to answer any questions you may have about
these therapies.
- To help you understand the benefits of
exercise.
- To explain the role of diet.
- To teach you the signs
and symptoms of heart failure and when to call your physician.
Our ultimate goal is to keep you feeling as well as possible
so that you can live a longer, more satisfying life! |
