Congestive Heart Failure Specialist

What is congestive heart failure?

Congestive heart failure is a cardiac disorder that develops because your heart is too weak to pump blood properly around your body.

Your heart muscle uses a pumping action to deliver oxygen-rich blood to all your tissues and organs. Your body needs the oxygen and nutrients from blood to grow, heal, and regenerate, but with congestive heart failure, not enough oxygen gets to your tissues, resulting in impaired organ function.

Blood can also gather in your arms and legs, lungs, and digestive tract, which can cause further complications.

What symptoms might congestive heart failure cause?

Some common congestive heart failure symptoms include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Palpitations
• Swollen arms, legs, or abdomen
• Bulging neck veins
• Difficulty sleeping
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Less frequent urination

You might also find your arms and legs feel cold when you're resting.

Some people have congestive heart failure and don't experience any obvious symptoms or have such mild symptoms they assume it's related to the aging process.

What causes congestive heart failure?

Several conditions can develop into congestive heart failure, including:

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Coronary artery disease (CAD)
• Arrhythmia
• Cardiac tumors
• Valve disorders
• Structural heart abnormalities
• Lung disease

Northwest Houston Heart Center performs a comprehensive exam and runs some tests to diagnose congestive heart failure. These could include blood and urine tests, an EKG (electrocardiogram), echocardiogram, cardiac PET (positron emission tomography) scan, or a nuclear stress test. They also use the innovative BioZ® Cardio Profile impedance cardiography (ICG) device to measure blood flow in your heart.

What treatment would I need for congestive heart failure?

Treatments that can help manage congestive heart failure include:

Lifestyle changes

Cardiovascular conditions are often caused or made worse by unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking too much alcohol, a lack of exercise, poor diet, and being overweight or obese. Addressing these issues reduces the stress on your heart and improves your overall health.

Medications

Medications have many functions in treating congestive heart failure. For example, ACE (angiotensin-converting-enzyme) inhibitors reduce blood pressure, digoxin strengthens your heartbeat, and diuretics (water pills) minimize fluid retention.

Balloon angioplasty

Balloon angioplasty is a treatment for coronary artery disease that uses cardiac catheterization. The procedure uses a slender pipe (catheter) that fits into an artery, usually in your groin. Your provider passes the catheter along the artery until it reaches your heart, providing access without the need for surgery.

Implantable devices

An implantable device like a pacemaker or defibrillator helps regulate your heartbeat and prevent a heart attack.

If you're experiencing symptoms of congestive heart failure or you're worried about your heart health, call Northwest Houston Heart Center today or book an appointment online.