By Kelly Cimino, BSN, RN; Ruth Kadoch-Perry, BSN, RN; and Amber Shealy, BSN, RN, PCCN
Registered Nurses, Progressive Care, Telemetry, and Invasive Cardiovascular Departments
Chester County Hospital; West Chester, PA


You or someone you know may have experienced a situation like this before. You’re home after spending several days in the hospital for heart failure, only to realize your care team gave you more information than you can remember about your heart condition. You wonder how you are going to be able to follow all their instructions about medications, diet and exercise.

According to the American Heart Association’s 2019 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, the number of people with heart failure has increased from 5.7 million (2009-2012) to 6.5 million (2011-2014). This makes heart failure the number one reason for hospitalization for Americans over the age of 65. The increase is largely due to an aging U.S. population and improved survival rate in patients with heart disease.

Heart disease has the potential to damage the heart muscle causing it to lose its ability to pump blood to the rest of your body as effectively as a normal healthy heart. This is known as heart failure, also called congestive heart failure (CHF), a chronic (ongoing) condition. Because of the poor pump, fluid within the body does not circulate properly and accumulates either in the lungs or in the body tissues, most commonly the feet and legs. This accumulation of fluids is known as edema. Other symptoms may include shortness of breath, loss of appetite, fatigue, and weight gain as a result of the excess fluid.

Finding out you have congestive heart failure or heart disease is overwhelming; however, there are certain things you can do to make your day-to-day management easier. Keep the hospital discharge instructions handy. They can help you become organized with your current medications, doctors' appointments, and tests that will help to monitor your disease. One of the most important things you can do is to take your medications as prescribed and avoid missing doses. Your doctor prescribes specific heart failure medications based on studies that show them to be the best in optimizing your heart function.

Help your heart to function at its best by avoiding foods that can put your heart at further risk for congestive heart failure. Incorporate a healthy diet that consists of low fat, low cholesterol and low sodium choices. Restrict your salt intake, including processed foods which can contain a large amount of sodium. Be diligent about the hidden salt in your diet by reading package labels. Keep a diary to record blood pressure (as needed), weight, fluid intake, or changes in your health. Be proactive by weighing yourself at the same time on the same scale each morning after voiding. Call your doctor right away if you notice a weight gain of two to three pounds in a day (or five pounds in a week), increased swelling or shortness of breath; these are all signs of worsening congestive heart failure.

If possible, recruit the support of family members or friends to help you achieve increased cardiovascular health through a modified lifestyle. Your support system can help you stay on track with your prescribed medication, follow a diet as directed, and reach a goal to obtain optimum health. Use the resources provided at discharge to become more educated about your condition. The most effective treatment plan is one that you can understand and follow. It is easier to manage congestive heart failure on a daily basis than to wait for symptoms to occur. If managed properly, you can prevent worsening of the disease and re-hospitalization.

For More Information on Congestive Heart Failure, call 610-738-2300 and ask to speak with a Heart Failure Educator.



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