How is congestive Heart Failure treated?
Congestive heart failure is a serious medical condition. Heart failure affects more than 5 million people in the United States with almost half a million new cases each year. Fortunately, doctors have many medications and treatment options available that can help improve congestive heart failure symptoms and reduce the impact heart failure has on a patient’s daily life. Current treatments include lifestyle modifications (including healthy eating habits, regular exercise, quitting smoking and weight loss). Most patients also take medications such as ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, and diuretics. These drugs help the heart beat stronger and reduce the amount of swelling and extra fluid in the body. Despite these medications some patients continue to have a lot of disabling congestive heart failure symptoms. Some patients can benefit from surgical procedures such as cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators, heart surgeries (mitral valve repair or replacement, or coronary artery bypass), LVADs
