Heart Failure
Heart failure is a weakening of the heart’s pumping
power. With heart failure, your body doesn’t get enough
oxygen and nutrients to meet its needs. Heart failure is the
most common hospital admission diagnosis in patients age 65
or older, accounting for more than 700,000 hospitalizations
among Medicare beneficiaries every year. It is associated
with severe functional impairments and high rates of mortality
and morbidity.
Symptoms of heart failure may include:
- shortness of breath from fluid in the lungs
- swelling (such as in legs, ankles or abdomen)
- dizziness
- fatigue
- weakness
- cold or clammy skin
- a rapid or irregular heartbeat.
Heart failure can be a result of heart condition due to:
- hardening of the arteries, also known as coronary artery
disease,
- a heart attack,
- cardiomyopathy (heart muscle damage from infection or
alcohol or drug abuse), or
- an overworked heart (caused over time by conditions like
high blood pressure, kidney disease, diabetes, or a defect
from birth).
For more information about heart health, check:
Key indicators
Substantial scientific evidence indicates that the
following measures represent the best practices for the treatment
of heart failure. Higher scores are better.
- Evaluation of left ventricular systolic (LVS)
function
The proper treatment for heart failure depends on what area
of your heart is affected. This indicator can test whether
the left side of your heart is pumping properly.
- ACE inhibitor or ARB for left ventricular systolic
dysfunction
ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors and ARBs
(angiotensin receptor blockers) are medicines used to treat
patients with heart failure and are particularly beneficial
in those patients with heart failure and decreased function
of the left side of the heart. Early treatment with ACE
inhibitors and ARBs in patients who have heart failure symptoms
or decreased heart function after a heart attack can reduce
mortality from future heart attacks.
- Discharge instructions
To help heart failure patients manage the symptoms after
they are discharged home from the hospital, they should
receive from the hospital written instructions or educational
material addressing all of the following: activity level,
diet, discharge medications, follow-up appointment, weight
monitoring, and what to do if symptoms worsen.
- Smoking cessation advice/counseling
Smoking increases the risk for developing blood clots and
heart disease that can result in a heart attack, heart failure
or stroke. Patients who receive even brief smoking-cessation
advice from their physicians are more likely to quit.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Hospital Compare
Additional Resources
To obtain more quality information regarding Heart
Attack, please visit the websites:
The Joint Commission and the U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services Hospital Compare.
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