Live Life Team
HEART FAILURE TREATMENT
The heart’s pumping action gets damaged by the heart failure, which cannot be repaired however treatments are available which can help in relieving from the symptoms and thereby keeping conditions under control. The conditions that result in the heart failure can also be effectively treated which will result in reduction of pressure on the heart.
The most appropriate treatment options may vary from person to person and they can be taken only on the advice of the specialist/ doctor and the various treatment options include the following:-
ACE inhibitor brings relaxation to the arteries thus resulting in the heart pumping the blood in the body with much greater ease. This will increase the performance of the heart and as a result bring a lot of improvement in the quality of life. The drawback is that this treatment is not suitable in every case.
DIURETICS FOR HEART FAILURE
Diuretics helps in removing salt and water from the kidneys in the urine thereby relieving the breathlessness and swelling caused due to heart failure. The three most commonly medicines used are thiazide diuretics, loop diuretics, and potassium-sparing diuretics.
ANTICOAGULANTS FOR HEART FAILURE
Anticoagulants helps in prevention of stroke by making the blood thinner so that clotting of the blood becomes more difficult. Anticoagulant most commonly used is Warfarin but it requires constant monitoring by the doctor to regulating the thinning process as too much thinning is also harmful.
DIGOXIN FOR HEART FAILURE
Its main purpose is to slow down the heart beat and is used in those persons who have irregular fast heart beat or rhythm.
BETA-BLOCKER FOR HEART FAILURE
Various researches have been conducted for beta-blockers and they have been shown to be successful in some persons, however persons who are asthmatic should not take Beta-blocker as it is not suitable for them
ANTIPLATELET MEDICINE FOR HEART FAILURE
Clots in the blood are generally formed by blood platelets and Anti-platelet medicine stops the blood platelets from making clots in the blood and Aspirin which is one of the Anti-platelet medicine works on this concept. However warfarin and Aspirin should be not taken together and doctor should be consulted for Antiplatelet medicine. It is generally the case that if Aspirin is taken in low doses as medication for heart failure, then it is observed that it has to be taken for lifelong.
SURGERY FOR HEART FAILURE
When medication does not work, then there is an option for surgery where some specialized devices are used as implanted into the body of the person suffering from heart failure and include pacemaker, LVADs (left ventricular assist devices) and cardioverter defribrillators.
Surgery for Heart transplant is option for severe heart failure cases but it depends on the availability of donor heart and may not suit everyone.
IMMUNISATION FOR HEART FAILURE
People with conditions of heart failure are more prone to complications from pneumococcal infection and flu, hence it is advisable to go in for pneumococcal immunisation and a flu jab on yearly basis
PREVENTION FORM HEART FAILURE
One can help oneself by leading a lifestyle which should be healthy and taking medication which is right and should suit the person. These steps will certainly play an important role in prevention and slowing the progression of the heart failure. Some of the steps are:
If the person is a smoker, quitting smoking will certainly help a lot
Taking a well planed and balanced diet (Low on salts as it increases fluid retention and low on saturated fats)
Exercises on a regular basis also play an important role however it should be done as per the recommendations of the doctor
Salt intake should be reduced
Maintaining a healthy weight
Sensible amount of alcohol intake only
They will certainly improve the health of the person and help in reducing and avoiding factors responsible for blood pressure and obesity thus enabling in reduction of strain on the heart resulting in maintaining the health of the heart muscle.
