Cardiac Services

Heart Failure

What is heart failure?
Heart failure is a major and growing health concern in the United States. Approximately five million people in this country have heart failure, and more than 550,000 people are newly diagnosed with heart failure for the first time each year. Heart failure can result from weakness of the heart muscle (systolic dysfunction) or from stiffness of the heart muscle (diastolic dysfunction). The main symptoms of heart failure are fatigue (because the heart is not pumping enough blood for the rest of the body), or shortness of breath (because the body is retaining fluid). The main causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, hypertension, and idiopathic cardiomyopathy. The development of drugs such as ace inhibitors, angiotension receptor blockers and beta-blockers, as well as the development of certain surgical procedures has greatly improved the quality of life and the prognosis of those who live with heart failure.