Heart failure affects 12% of adults aged 60-79 and 25% of those over the age of 80. At Arizona Heart Arrhythmia Associates, Akash Makkar, MD, and Mohamad Abdelrahman, MD, have extensive experience helping adults of all ages live their best life after being diagnosed with heart failure. They offer today’s most advanced therapies to support your heart, alleviate symptoms, and slow down disease progression. If you have questions or you need help for heart failure, book an appointment online or call one of the offices in Phoenix, Avondale, Tempe, Chandler, Sun City, Dewey, or Prescott Valley, Arizona, today.
Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure, occurs when you have a weak heart that can’t pump enough blood. You can develop this problem on only the left side of your heart, only the right side, or both sides.
Heart failure develops gradually as inflammation and chronic diseases damage the muscles, leaving them too weak or stiff to function normally. Conditions that can lead to heart failure include:
Obstructive sleep apnea also increases your risk of developing heart failure.
Though you may have different symptoms depending on which side of your heart is affected, you can develop any of the following:
Swelling in your legs, ankles, feet, and abdomen occurs as fluids build up in your body.
After performing a thorough physical exam, Arizona Heart Arrhythmia Associates may perform one or more diagnostic tests to determine the cause of your symptoms.
In addition to blood tests, a cardiac MRI, Doppler ultrasound, or a chest X-ray, you may need a stress test, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, coronary angiogram, or cardiac catheterization.
Your personalized treatment plan at Arizona Heart Arrhythmia Associates is designed to treat any underlying conditions like hypertension, reduce your symptoms, and stop your heart failure from getting worse.
You may need treatments such as:
Lifestyle changes may include following a heart-healthy diet, getting more exercise, losing weight, and stopping smoking, if needed.
Numerous medications are prescribed to help patients with heart failure. For example, you may need medication to lower your blood pressure, reduce blood volume, relax blood vessels, slow your heart rate, or strengthen your heartbeat.
If your heart failure results from blocked coronary arteries or faulty valves, Arizona Heart Arrhythmia Associates may recommend a surgical procedure to repair those problems.
You may also need a device, such as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator or cardiac resynchronization therapy, to stabilize your heart’s electrical system. Another device, called a ventricular assist device, helps pump blood from your heart to the rest of your body.
If you develop symptoms of heart failure, call Arizona Heart Arrhythmia Associates or book an appointment online today for expert treatment.