Heart Failure

• Diagnosis, Imaging, Screening
• General Information
• Guidelines
• Internet Sites
• Rehabilitation
• Risk Factors
• Risk Reduction
• Treatment

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Heart Failure

NIH - Heart Failure: Summary "Heart failure is a condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood throughout the body. ... The most common symptoms of heart failure are shortness of breath, feeling tired, and swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, and sometimes the abdomen."

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Heart failure "The most common causes of heart failure are hypertension (high blood pressure) and coronary artery disease (for example, you have had a heart attack). Other structural or functional causes of heart failure include the following: • Valvular heart disease • Congenital heart disease • Dilated cardiomyopathy • Lung disease • Heart tumor Heart failure becomes more common with advancing age. You are also at increased risk for developing heart failure if you are overweight, have diabetes, smoke cigarettes, abuse alcohol, or use cocaine."

NHS – Heart Failure “Symptoms of heart failure The main symptom of heart failure is extreme tiredness. This happens because of a lack of blood getting from your heart to your muscles. The other symptoms of heart failure tend to differ depending upon which side of your heart has been affected. Heart failure on the left Heart failure on the left side can also make you breathless. This can happen at any time but often happens when you are active or laying in bed. During the night you may feel the need to sit up in bed or even to get some fresh air. The breathlessness can also be accompanied by a cough and a frothy spit. Heart failure on the right The main symptom of heart failure on the right side is swollen ankles and legs because of excess fluid building up in the legs. The liver and stomach can also become enlarged, due to excess fluid. Heart failure on either or both sides Other symptoms of heart failure (on either side of the heart) can include: • dizziness, • feeling sick (nausea), • constipation, and • loss of appetite.”

Highlighted Articles

[Obesity and heart failure.] (Internist (Berl). 2008) “Obesity doubles the risk of heart failure independent of comorbidities like hypertension or coronary artery disease …”

Aerobic exercise reverses signs of heart failure "In an editorial, Dr. Stanley A. Rubin, at the UCLA School of Medicine, urges caution before starting heart failure patients on an exercise training program. Rubin outlines the considerations to be taken into account when starting a patient on an exercise training program -- including pre-training evaluation, as well as the type, degree, and venue of exercise training."

Superior Cardiovascular Effect of Aerobic Interval Training Versus Moderate Continuous Training in Heart Failure Patients. A Randomized Study. (Circulation. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Exercise intensity was an important factor for reversing LV remodeling and improving aerobic capacity, endothelial function, and quality of life in patients with postinfarction heart failure. These findings may have important implications for exercise training in rehabilitation programs and future studies."

Antithrombotic therapy for congestive heart failure. (Int J Clin Pract. 2006)

"Aspirin may be detrimental for heart failure due to a possible interaction with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, leading to increased hospitalisations from decompensated heart failure."

Visit InfoMedSearch's Home Page for all InfoMedLinks Cardiovascular Topics: Atherosclerosis, Atrial Fibrillation, Coronary Artery Disease, Cholesterol - Lipids, General Cardiovascular, Heart Failure, Hypertension, Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack), Peripheral Artery Disease, and Stroke.

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Heart Failure

Daily Treatment Report

Cognitive Therapy-CBT-Psychotherapy

Device Therapy

Drug Side-Effects and Interactions

Drugs

Rational use of diuretics in acute decompensated heart failure. (Curr Heart Fail Rep. 2008)

Pharmacologic Management of Heart Failure Caused by Systolic Dysfunction (Am Fam Physician. 2008)

Diuretics: still the mainstay of treatment. (Crit Care Med. 2008)

Exercise

Exercise won't help patients with heart failure

Exercise is safe, improves outcomes for patients with heart failure “Researchers hypothesized that participation in an exercise program would significantly lower the incidence of death and hospitalization among patients with heart failure. But based on the protocol-specified initial analysis, exercise training produced only a modest, non-significant reduction in the primary endpoint of all-cause hospitalization or all-cause death. A planned, secondary analysis, however, that took into account the strongest clinical factors predicting hospitalization or death, found exercise to be significantly beneficial. Researchers hope the findings will finally put to rest long-held fears that exercise may be too risky for some patients. "The most important thing we found from this study is that exercise is safe for patients with heart failure, and when adjustments were made for specific baseline characteristics, it significantly improved clinical outcomes," said O'Connor. … "As the number of people affected by heart failure is expected to rise with the aging U.S. population, it is promising to know that patients can benefit from a low-risk method to improve their health." “

Physical exercise improves the functional capacity and quality of life in patients with heart failure. (Clinics. 2008)

T'ai Chi Exercise in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure. (Med Sport Sci. 2008)

Exercise, Counseling Benefits Depressed Heart Failure Patients “Patients who exercised followed a progressive program of low-to-moderate intensity in which they were encouraged to walk outdoors three times a week for at least 30 minutes. They received heart rate monitors and training in how to track their exertion level and when to stop exercising. All patients achieved these goals, even though some were quite debilitated at the start of the sessions. ... "The cognitive behavioral therapy was geared toward changing the attitude of the patients about their illness," Gary said. "We wanted them to change their negative thoughts and beliefs, and restructure and reformat how they think about their illness and limitations. For example, we developed a volunteer and activities sign-up sheet in each community that provided transportation for those who wanted to get out of the home or contribute in some way." “

Short-Term Exercise Training Improves Heart Failure

Group-based Aerobic Interval Training in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: Norwegian Ullevaal Model. (Phys Ther. 2008)

Is vigorous physical activity contraindicated in subjects with coronary heart disease? Evidence from the Caerphilly study. (Eur Heart J. 2008)

General Information

Optimal heart failure therapy and successful cardioversion in heart failure patients with atrial fibrillation. (Am Heart J. 2008)

Continuous positive airway pressure in heart failure patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. (Intern Med J. 2008)

Etiology and management of anemia in patients with heart failure: how much iron is missing? (Congest Heart Fail. 2008)

Guidelines

Immunotherapy

Internet Sites

Treatment Information

DrugBank (drug structure)

FDA - MedWatch (Drug Alerts)

Drug-Food-Supplement Information

Drug Information Online

Drug Interaction Checker

DrugDigest (drug interactions)

FDA - Drug Interactions: What You Should Know

NIH - Botanical Dietary Supplements: Background Information

NIH - Drug, Supplements, and Herbal Information

NIH - Herbal Supplements: Consider Safety, Too

NIH - Medicines

NIH - Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Fact Sheets

Nutrition

Effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients with chronic heart failure (the GISSI-HF trial): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. (Lancet. 2008)

Other

Other Treatments

Experimental

Radiotherapy

Supplements-Vitamins-CAM

Effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients with chronic heart failure (the GISSI-HF trial): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (The Lancet 2008) “A simple and safe treatment with n-3 PUFA can provide a small beneficial advantage in terms of mortality and admission to hospital for cardiovascular reasons in patients with heart failure in a context of usual care.”

Fish oil helps patients with chronic heart failure: Omega-3 pill worked slightly better than cholesterol medication, study says “Fish oil supplements may work slightly better than a popular cholesterol-reducing drug to help patients with chronic heart failure, according to new research released Sunday. Chronic heart failure is a condition that occurs when the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood efficiently around the body. …. Bonow said that since cell membranes are made of fatty acids, fish oils may help to replace and strengthen those membranes with omega-3. Fish oils also are thought to increase the body's good cholesterol levels, as well as possibly stabilizing the electrical system in heart cells, to prevent abnormal heart rhythms. In contrast, statins act on the body's bad cholesterol, which may not have a big impact on heart failure. … Weaver said that guidelines in the United States would likely change to recommend that more heart patients eat more fish or take supplements. "This is a low-tech solution and could help all patients with cardiovascular problems." “

Vitamin D: New Way To Treat Heart Failure?

Curry Spice May Thwart Heart Failure

Hawthorn extract for treating chronic heart failure. (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008)

Herbal Remedy, Hawthorn Extract, Can Help The Heart, Review Finds " "There is good evidence that, when used alongside conventional therapy, hawthorn extract can bring additional benefits," says lead researcher Dr Ruoling Guo, who works in Complementary Medicine at Peninsula Medical School at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, UK. "If I had chronic heart failure, I certainly would consider (using) it," said review co-author Dr. Max Pittler, deputy director of complementary medicine at Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, England. The review does not include results of a large new study -- unpublished to date -- that suggested hawthorn has only a limited affect on lifespan. At issue is heart failure, a common condition that is both debilitating and deadly. An estimated five million Americans suffer from heart failure, which is often the result of clogged arteries that put stress on the heart by forcing it to work harder. As a result, the heart becomes larger while failing to effectively move blood around the body. This causes fluids to build up in the legs and lungs, often causing shortness of breath and other symptoms. "

Surgery

Transplantation

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