Consultation hours for heart failure
Help for a strong heart
Here you can find out everything you need to know about heart failure, its definition, development and consequences, as well as treatment options. Contact us if you have any questions or need advice. We will be happy to help you.
What exactly is heart failure (cardiac insufficiency)?
If the heart can no longer pump enough blood through the body, this is known as heart failure. Heart failure can be caused by reduced heart muscle strength or a stiff heart muscle. The body is then no longer supplied with sufficient blood.
Patients with heart failure are significantly less physically resilient. People with mild heart failure only experience limitations with a great deal of physical exertion. With severe heart failure, even the slightest physical exertion is too much. The reduced performance capacity manifests itself in exhaustion and shortness of breath. There may also be rapid water retention, particularly in the lungs or in the legs, ankles and feet. In rare cases, water can also accumulate in the abdomen and lead to gastrointestinal complaints such as bloating. However, water retention in the legs is not always caused by heart failure; there are many other reasons for this.
If heart failure is present, the actual cause must be sought, as it corresponds more to a symptom complex (syndrome), i.e. the final state of an underlying heart disease, than a basic diagnosis. The most common causes are high blood pressure, coronary artery disease (e.g. following a heart attack), the presence of a heart valve defect or heart muscle disease (genetic or following myocarditis, for example) or congenital heart disease. Cardiac arrhythmias (too fast, irregular or too slow a pulse) can also cause heart failure. Excessive alcohol consumption, pulmonary hypertension (e.g. after a pulmonary embolism), chemotherapy or metabolic diseases (e.g. diabetes) can also lead to heart failure. In some cases, however, the cause of the disease cannot be determined.
Pathological value of heart failure
The presence of heart failure is generally massively underestimated, as the mortality rate and symptoms (frequency of hospitalization due to shortness of breath, weakness or water retention) are comparable to those of the most malignant tumors, especially in an advanced version. In analogy to patients with malignant tumors, who are known to be cared for by oncologists, patients with severe heart failure should be cared for by specially experienced heart specialists, especially since heart failure can be treated well today.
How is heart failure treated?
In most cases, heart failure is treated with various medications. Initially, a low dose is usually started and then the dosage is slowly increased. The medication should be taken as exactly as prescribed. This is where the help of you, the patient, is very much needed after you have been given precise information in advance. In this context, it also makes sense to adjust your lifestyle.
In cases of severe heart failure, pacemakers or other measures, such as a ventricular assist device (VAD) or even a heart transplant, are sometimes necessary. The so-called "artificial heart" is a mechanical pump that supports the very sick heart to work properly. In such rare situations, the mechanical pump is implanted while the patient is waiting for a donor heart, for example. In certain forms of cardiac insufficiency, a special pacemaker ensures that both ventricles beat evenly (again), i.e. synchronously, and improves the heart's pumping function. This is known as resynchronization therapy.
The most important factors in the treatment of heart failure are the optimal adjustment of weight (water balance), blood pressure, heart rate and taking the necessary medication as well as regular physical activity. Our team of doctors will be happy to advise you on this.
