For Our Patients

Treatments for Heart Failure
People do better at living with their disease when they understand the causes of their disease, the factors that make their condition better or worse and how they can impact those factors.

LifeStyle Modifications
While there is a hereditary aspect to heart failure, lifestyle has a significant impact. People diagnosed with heart failure are encouraged to address the following:

• Foods: fat and salt content
• Fluids: limiting fluid intake at times
• Activity: Learning to rest, conserving energy, exercises to build strength and endurance

As with any lifestyle modifications, education is only a first step in modifications. Compliance does not follow easily or automatically.

Medications
Modern medications have a significant impact on living with heart failure. The following are the common medications prescribed for heart failure:

• ACE Inhibitors
• Beta Blockers
• Diuretics

These modern medications are only effective if taken as prescribed. Medication compliance is an issue due to side effects of the medications. The medications cause a number of side effects that leave the person not feeling well: nausea, dizziness, etc. In addition, the number of medications and the varying frequency of taking them contribute to non-compliance.

There's one other patient situation issue that's important to understand. Most patients with heart failure have other diseases and conditions as well. When caring for a heart failure patient, whether teaching or treating, an effective program must address the entire patient.