Treatment of Heart Failure

Heart failure is a condition that occurs as a result of the loss of contractile function of the heart muscle. Patients suffering from heart failure complain of shortness of breath, cough, swelling of the feet and weakness. While these complaints are very mild in the initial stages, in later periods the patient becomes unable to lie flat due to shortness of breath. Hypertension and coronary disease are the most common causes of heart failure. Heart failure may also occur in direct diseases of the heart muscle. In the last decade, great progress has been made with the drugs used in the treatment of heart failure.

 

Thanks to the drugs, both the complaints have been reduced and the deaths due to heart failure have decreased. But after a point, medications don't help. Despite the medications, patients continue to complain of shortness of breath. These patients can be helped more with non-drug treatments that have emerged in recent years. One of the non-drug treatments used in heart failure is pacemakers. It has been shown that, especially in a group of patients, complaints were reduced and life expectancy was prolonged with the use of three-electrode batteries (bivetricular). Some selected patients benefit greatly from this method called cardiac resynchronization therapy (a physician's opinion is required regarding who will benefit and how much). Another treatment option is the method called EECP. In this method, pressure is applied to these areas simultaneously with the heartbeat through air bags wrapped around the legs and hips. At the end of 35 sessions, each lasting an average of one hour, the complaints decrease in a significant portion of the patients.

 

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