Heart Failure Treatment
Heart Failure Treatment
There are multiple options for treating heart failure. Regular medications and lifestyle changes coupled with careful monitoring make up the first line of treatment. As the condition progresses, centers specializing in the treatment of heart failure can offer more advanced treatment options, such as surgery.
Taking your heart failure medications as prescribed is one of the most important things you can do to manage your condition. The more you know about your medications and how they work, the easier it will be for you to stay on track.
Common types of drugs used to treat heart failure include:
Surgery is aimed at stopping further damage to the heart and improving the heart's function. Procedures used include:
Heart Failure Treatment
In this article
- How Is Heart Failure Treated?
- What Drugs Are Used to Treat Heart Failure?
- What Surgical Procedures Are Used to Treat Heart Failure?
- How Can I Prevent Heart Failure From Worsening?
- How Can I Prevent Further Heart Damage?
- What Drugs Should I Avoid if I Have Heart Failure?
- How Can I Improve My Quality of Life?
- Heart Failure Treatment Is a Team Effort
- What Is the Outlook for People With Heart Failure?
How Is Heart Failure Treated?
There are multiple options for treating heart failure. Regular medications and lifestyle changes coupled with careful monitoring make up the first line of treatment. As the condition progresses, centers specializing in the treatment of heart failure can offer more advanced treatment options, such as surgery.
What Drugs Are Used to Treat Heart Failure?
Taking your heart failure medications as prescribed is one of the most important things you can do to manage your condition. The more you know about your medications and how they work, the easier it will be for you to stay on track.
Common types of drugs used to treat heart failure include:
- Aldosterone inhibitors
- Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
- Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)
- Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin Inhibitors (ARNIs)
- Beta-blockers
- Blood vessel dilators
- Calcium channel blockers
- Digoxin
- Diuretics
- Heart pump medication
- Potassium or magnesium
- Selective Sinus node inhibitors
What Surgical Procedures Are Used to Treat Heart Failure?
Surgery is aimed at stopping further damage to the heart and improving the heart's function. Procedures used include:
- Bypass surgery: The most common surgery for heart failure is bypass surgery to route blood around a blocked heart artery.
- Left ventricular assist device (LVAD): The LVAD helps your heart pump blood throughout your body. It allows you to be mobile, sometimes returning home to await a heart transplant.
- Heart valve surgery: As heart failure progresses, the heart valves that normally help direct the flow of blood through the heart to the rest of the body may no longer completely close, allowing blood to "leak" backward. The valves can be repaired or replaced.
- Infarct exclusion surgery (Modified Dor or Dor Procedure): When a heart attack occurs in the left ventricle (left lower pumping chamber of the heart), a scar forms. The scarred area is thin and can bulge out with each beat (an aneurysm). A heart surgeon can remove the dead area of heart tissue or the aneurysm.
- Heart transplant: A heart transplant is considered when heart failure is so severe that it does not respond to all other therapies.
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