Heart failure is a long-term condition, and managing it is a team effort between you, your loved ones, and your care team. This video gives an overview of common treatments: lifestyle changes like a balanced diet, regular exercise, and quitting smoking; medications; implanted devices such as pacemakers and CRT devices; and, in some cases, surgery. Your doctor will work with you to find the right combination for your needs.

Heart failure is a long-term condition, so it's important for you to seek treatment and keep your symptoms well-managed. You, your loved ones, and your caregivers all play an active role in the management of your health. Your treatment plan may include lifestyle changes, medications, surgical procedures, and ongoing care. In many cases, a combination of these is best. So what are the treatments for heart failure?

Lifestyle changes

Living a healthy lifestyle, such as eating a balanced diet, getting daily exercise, and quitting smoking, can help alleviate your symptoms and help improve your everyday quality of life as someone living with heart failure.

A healthy, balanced diet should include plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry and fish, nuts and legumes, and vegetable oils, while limiting saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, and red meats.

Another lifestyle change that can help with heart failure is quitting smoking. Smoking can lead to increases in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as clumping or stickiness in the blood vessels feeding the heart. People who quit smoking are likely to see heart failure symptoms improve.

In virtual cardiac rehab, your care manager will encourage you to make these lifestyle changes and will tailor an individualized exercise program for you that will best fit your needs.

Medications

Most people with heart failure are treated with multiple medications. Each one treats a different symptom or contributing factor and comes with its own instructions and rules.

In addition to the medications that are being used for heart failure, there are newer medications such as Entresto, which is an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor, or ARNI. More recently, SGLT2 inhibitors such as Farxiga and Jardiance have been approved for heart failure patients with a reduced ejection fraction. Medication regimens can be individualized based on other factors.

Implanted devices

Some people with heart failure may need to have a procedure to implant a small device that can help control or monitor their heart's rhythm. The most common devices are pacemakers, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), and devices that combine cardiac resynchronization and defibrillation (CRT-D).

Pacemakers are surgically placed devices that send electrical pulses to your heart in order to keep it at a normal rate and rhythm, as these devices sense when your heart is beating irregularly or too slowly.

CRT devices are also surgically implanted under the skin and send electrical signals to your heart in a coordinated manner. They also store information about your heart function that will assist your doctor with your treatment.

Surgery

There are also surgeries that in some cases may help people with heart failure, such as heart valve surgery, coronary artery bypass surgery, left ventricular assist devices, and heart transplants. Surgery is not used to treat heart failure often, but it may be required when your doctor identifies a correctable problem that could be contributing to your heart failure.

Wrap-up

While there are a lot of different treatment options for heart failure, just remember that small changes in your lifestyle can help make a big difference. We value your health and safety, and we are here to help.

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