Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) is often the result of cardiovascular disease
that has weakened the heart over time. The annual number of deaths directly
from CHF is increasing, and it’s the most common diagnosis in hospital
patients age 65 years and older. While there is no cure for CHF, many
patients live with the condition. A progressive cardiac illness, CHF occurs
as the heart’s pumping action grows weaker and cannot pump enough
oxygenated blood to meet the body’s needs. You also might hear it
referred to as chronic heart failure or simply heart failure. According
to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), an estimated
5 million Americans have congestive heart failure (CHF). And the numbers
are on the rise.
CVMC Nurse Practitioner Sara Paul, DNP, FNP, specializes in working with
patients diagnosed with heart failure to optimize medications and teach
individuals how to properly care for themselves in an attempt to prevent
hospitalizations or readmissions. “Treatment options can include
lifestyle changes and medications, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme
(ACE) inhibitors,” says Paul. “ACE inhibitors can help heart
failure patients by decreasing the pressure inside blood vessels. As a
result, the heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood through
the vessels.”
Other drugs, including beta blockers, can help relax tension in blood vessels
to improve blood flow. A newer type of treatment involves the combined
use of an implantable defibrillator with cardiac resynchronization therapy.
The implantable defibrillator is designed to correct potentially life-threatening
rapid heart rhythms, preventing sudden cardiac death while cardiac resynchronization
therapy helps the chambers of the heart beat in a coordinated manner.
CVMC offers many resources to educate patients about heart health and minimize
risk factors associated with heart failure among those listed here:
- Free blood pressure and cholesterol screenings
- Heart to Heart classes are scheduled regularly to address heart failure
risk factors
- Tobacco cessation programs
- Diabetes control centers,
- Bariatric surgery and weight management programs
- Healthy eating and nutrition classes
Sara Paul is scheduling patients at
Catawba Valley Cardiology located at 3521 Graystone Place SE, STE 202, Conover, NC 28613. For an
appointment, please call 828-326-2354. Catawba Valley Cardiology is a
service of Catawba Valley Medical Center.