The renowned team of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and electro physiologists is led is known to have expertise in complex coronary and peripheral interventions, structural heart disease interventions (Device closure of ASD VSD PDA, Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion, TAVI, TAVR, etc.
The cardiac team at Curex is well known for complex coronary bypass surgeries, total arterial bypass, LIMA RIMA Y grafting, off-pump, and excellence in mitral valve repair and Bentall. We offer heart failure treatment in Waterloo.
What is Heart Failure?
Heart failure is often termed as Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart fails to pump the blood.
Due the improper pumping action of the heart, the blood flow to the different parts of the body gets obstructed which results in the lack of oxygen supply.
Women tend to have higher chances of suffering from heart failure as compared to men, as the chances of developing heart diseases peri- or post-menopausal is very common.
Heart failure can be either acute or chronic. Acute heart failure have sudden onset, mostly a result of heart attack. Chronic heart failure is the result of ongoing bad heart conditions.
What is the mission of Curex Hospital?
The mission of Curex amongst the heart failure doctor in Waterloo is to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease through exceptional education, prevention and delivery of quality care. The booklet that contains information on risk factors that may be present and medications you or your family member may be taking or will take at home. This general information will be helpful in dealing with your, or your loved one’s condition. Please ask any of the team members if you wish to receive additional information which may not have been addressed in this manual. We encourage you to write down details timely as well as any questions or comments on the “Notes” pages provided at the back of this booklet.
What are the Common Causes of Heart Failure?
Heart failure can be a cause of following:
- Heart attack (the repetitive onset of heart attack may lead to heart failure)
- Hypertension (due to high blood pressure the workload of the heart increases making it difficult for the heart to pump blood properly)
- Abnormal heart rhythm (abnormal rhythm causes the heart to work more, which makes the heart muscles weak, leading to heart failure)
- Heart valve abnormality (abnormality in the valve implies poor blood flow and weaken the heart muscle)
- Stiffening of heart muscles (due to the presence of conditions like cardiomyopathy or myocarditis the heart muscles may cause stiffening of the heart muscles)
- Congenital heart defects (due to the improper formation of the cardiac valves/ chambers the workload on the heart is increased, making it weak/ stiff)
- Other diseases like emphysema, thyroidism, severe anemia etc.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Failure?
Dyspnea (Shortness Of Breath [SOB])
- Dyspnea is a major sign suggesting your heart isn’t working properly, as there are high chances that there is retention of fluid in the lungs
- Loss of appetite
- Due to improper functioning of the heart there are high chances one might lose his or her appetite
- Chest pain (in case of heart attack)
- After heart attack pain in chest may be indicative of another heart attack or heart failure
- Reduced ability to perform exercise
- As the heart is unable to pump adequate amount of blood to the body the capability of the body to perform activities reduces
- Increased heartbeat
- Since the workload of the heart is increased to meet the requirement of the body, the heartbeat gets increased
- Fatigue or weakness
- Improper supply of blood results in fatigue and weakness
- Persistent cough/ wheezing
- Buildup of fluid is common in heart failure
- Swelling in legs and ankles
- As the heart doesn’t work properly the fluid starts to get accumulated in the veins of legs causing oedema (swelling)
- Ascites (retention of the abdomen)
- The inability of the heart to function properly causes swelling of the stomach
- Weight gain
- Due to retention of fluid there are high chances of weight gain
- Fluid retention
- As the heart doesn’t work properly the ability of the body to void fluid also reduces
- Frequent urination
- The improper functioning of the heart affects other organs and retention of fluid increases pressure on nearby organs too
- Protruding veins
- Sign of weakened valves, doesn’t allow blood to go back to heart
- Irregular pulse
- Irregular pumping action of heart results in irregular pulse