Heart Failure Treatment and Diagnosis
Heart failure is characterized by the heart’s inability to pump an adequate supply of blood to the body. Without sufficient blood flow, all primary body functions are disrupted. Heart failure is a condition or a collection of symptoms that weaken your heart.
Causes:
It is caused by a multitude of health conditions that damage the heart muscles, including the following:
Coronary artery diseases (CAD) causes decreased blood flow to the heart muscle. If the arteries become blocked or severely narrowed, the heart becomes starved for oxygen and nutrients.
Heart attack is caused due to a blockage in the coronary artery stopping the flow of blood to the heart muscle. A heart attack damages the heart muscle, resulting in a scarred area that does not function properly.
Cardiomyopathy is the damage caused to the heart muscle due to infections, alcohol or drug abuse.
Conditions such as high blood pressure, valve disease, thyroid disease, kidney disease, diabetes, or heart defects present at birth can cause heart failures
Such conditions can cause a variety of symptoms, from intense chest pain to slight constriction, heart failure can also cause shortness of breath and numbness in different parts of the body. Heart Failure Treatment is an extremely time-sensitive affair and requires a high level of efficiency to save the lives of patients admitted under crucial conditions.
Diagnosis:
The primary diagnosis will require a complete account of the patient’s medical history and symptoms. Blood pressure and weight are noted down. Blood tests recommended by the doctors follow this. Abnormal results may indicate a strain on the heart or on other organs such as the kidneys and liver, which often results from heart failure. Chest X-rays are used to check for congestion in the lungs, and it also shows if the heart is enlarged.
More complicated forms of diagnosis include tests like:
- Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG)
The EKG machine is used to record the heart’s rhythm, frequency of beats and electrical conduction. It indicated if you’ve had a heart attack if the heart muscle wall is enlarged and also if the heart rhythm is abnormal.
- Echocardiography
Echocardiography is ultrasound testing that helps in imaging of the chambers and valves. This is the most common test used to assess your heart’s ejection fraction.
- Radionuclide ventriculography(MUGA)
Radionuclides are injected into the patient’s bloodstream which then allows computer-generated pictures to display the locations of the radionuclides in the heart.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
An MRI of the heart lets your doctor see if your heart is damaged from a heart attack, or if there is a lack of blood flow to the heart muscle because of narrowed or blocked arteries.
Proper diagnosis helps streamline the Heart Failure Treatment and helps the doctors gain a better understanding of the existing heart conditions before prescribing medication or procedures.
Treatments:
If lifestyle changes and medication proves ineffective in treating heart disorders, the following surgical procedures are resorted to :
- Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) involves surgically installing a special pacemaker
- Heart transplantation
- Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or angioplasty is used to reopen blocked blood vessels.
- Coronary artery bypass reroutes the blood supply around a blocked section of the artery.
The treatment suggested by the doctor depends on several factors such as the patient’s pre-existing medical conditions, budget and urgency.
