Receiving a diagnosis of “heart failure” can be daunting. Not to mention scary. After all, those two words make it sound like the heart isn’t working anymore. Fortunately that’s not the case; however, a diagnosis of heart failure does mean that the heart no longer has the ability to adequately pump blood throughout the body.
And when that happens, all kinds of complications and difficulties can occur, making heart failure a complex and serious condition that results in frequent hospitalizations according to Sherese Pruss, Nurse Practitioner with Morris Hospital Cardiovascular Specialists.
Managing symptoms is key
While the heart and other parts of the body try to compensate when the heart fails to pump properly, eventually a person with heart failure tends to experience classic signs that indicate something is not right with the heart, including:
- Shortness of breath
- Persistent coughing or wheezing
- Swelling in the legs, feet, ankles, fingers, abdomen or other tissues and organs
- Weight loss or gain
- Fatigue that makes everyday activities difficult
- Lack of appetite or nausea
- Confusion or impaired thinking
- Increased heart rate or racing heart
“It’s really important to manage heart failure symptoms, and a lot of that falls on the patient,” says Pruss. “It starts with being aware of your body and how it’s working and monitoring your symptoms.”
As part of symptom management, individuals with heart failure are typically advised to weigh themselves every day.
“If a person with heart failure experiences rapid weight gain, that could be indicative that there are some issues related to the heart failure,” explains Pruss. “We also tell our heart failure patients to watch the salt intake in their diet. When someone with heart failure consumes a high salt diet, they tend to retain more fluids.”
Staying active is also important in managing heart failure symptoms.
“I always tell our patients, the heart is a muscle, and if you don’t use it you lose it,” says Pruss. “Trying to stay active and getting some daily exercise – such as walking every day — helps keep your heart conditioned and helps with symptom management.
Morris Hospital’s Heart Failure Management Program
Morris Hospital Cardiovascular Specialists is working to improve heart failure symptom management and reduce hospitalizations through a special Heart Failure Management Program. The program was developed with the primary goal of providing specialized care and support for patients living with heart failure, with a key focus on reducing 30-day readmissions, preventing future hospitalizations, and enhancing overall patient outcomes by managing patients in an outpatient setting.
The ultimate goal is to improve outcomes for patients who have a heart failure diagnosis by being proactive about managing their condition.
Through regularly scheduled office visits, the cardiology team with Morris Hospital Cardiovascular Specialists will review patient medications, provide education and resources specific to diet including dietitian consults, refer patients to cardiac rehab when indicated, and advise patients to promptly report any changes that could indicate a decline in their condition. Seeing patients with a heart failure diagnosis on a regular basis gives the Heart Failure Management Program team better ability to intervene before patients get to the point of needing hospitalization.
For more information about the Heart Failure Management Program at Morris Hospital, call Morris Hospital Cardiovascular Specialists at 815-705-1000. Or, ask your primary care physician for a referral to the program.
