Why Chronic Heart Failure Patients Should Exercise the Legs
Exercised legs are very important for chronic heart failure patients. Don’t assume that legs don’t matter just because they’re far from the heart. […]
Should Patient with Acute Heart Failure Receive IV Fluids?
If a doctor didn’t order IV fluids for a patient with acute decompensated heart failure, this was probably a very smart move… even though it would seem—from an intuitive standpoint—that IV fluids would be beneficial. [...]
How Much Weight Gain Can Cause Future Heart Failure?
Gaining weight over time can put you at risk for future heart failure. The "fat acceptance" subset of the body positive movement needs to understand this. Chronic heart failure should never be an "accepted" disease. [...]
Heart Failure Deaths vs. Death from Cancer
It’s odd that with all the people so afraid of dying from cancer, these same individuals often don’t give heart failure a second thought. Though getting the “big C” may scare the daylights out of [...]
Contraindications for Ventricular Assist Device in Heart Failure
It would seem that most patients with advanced heart failure who are getting worse would be suitable candidates for a ventricular assist device. […]
Cardiorenal Syndrome Death: Would Sooner Intervention Matter?
If someone with chronic heart failure goes into acute decompensated mode triggering cardiorenal syndrome and dies, is there a sooner point in time for which medical intervention could have saved this individual? [...]
Does Ejection Fraction Decrease with Acute Heart Failure?
How can doctors tell that ejection fraction has worsened over the course of a few days in someone admitted with acute decompensated heart failure if only one echo was taken on the day of admission? [...]
What Contraindicates Drug Therapy for ADHF & Worsening Kidneys?
The contraindications for drug therapy in critically ill patients with acute decompensated heart failure with worsening renal function leave physicians in a very tough spot, because without these drugs, the patient is sure to die. [...]
Cardiorenal Syndrome in Elderly: Who Gets Drugs, Who Doesn’t?
What determines when drug treatment in the elderly with acute heart failure and worsening renal function can be helpful vs. harmful? Cardiorenal syndrome has no clear-cut cookie-cutter treatments. […]
Edema from Fat Look Different than Edema from Heart Failure?
Excess body fat causes edema, but so does chronic heart failure. Here is a comparison in how this swelling looks on the body when it’s caused by either of these two common conditions. When a [...]
The Lowest Ejection Fraction a Person Could Live With?
How is it that some will have acute heart failure with an ejection fraction of 15% and die, while others are quite alive with a much lower ejection fraction? I was inspired to write this [...]
Heart Failure Cause Liver & Kidney Failure at the Same Time?
Heart failure can cause liver failure AND kidney failure, but what are the odds that the liver and kidneys decide to fail at the exact same time? Is it more likely that heart failure injures [...]
Can Ascites Cause Acute Decompensated Heart Failure?
Are you wondering if excess abdominal fluid, called ascites, can cause an already weak heart to be strained, leading to ADHF? And if so, would this be due to a mechanical type of pressure or [...]
Why Can ADHF Occur at Any Time in Chronic Heart Failure?
A fully functioning patient with CHF who’s medically stable, although with chronic renal insufficiency, could have acute decompensated heart failure at any time. There are people with chronic heart failure who go dancing, bike riding, [...]
5 Percent Ejection Fraction without Acute Renal Failure?
“For unknown reasons, some patients are able to tolerate very low ejection fraction without failure of other organs” including the kidneys, says Dr. Mark Pool, MD, a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon based in TX who’s been [...]
Can the Liver Suddenly Fail Acutely from Heart Failure?
There are several mechanisms by which you can suffer acute liver failure as a result of your chronic heart failure. The kidneys get virtually all of the attention in medical literature when it comes to [...]
Does Fluid Buildup Always Occur with Acute Heart Failure?
Can ejection fraction suddenly get a lot worse (acute heart failure) without filling the lungs with fluid or causing peripheral edema? When people are hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), is this commonly because [...]
Amount of Exercise Needed to Prevent Heart Failure in Old Age
Never believe that congestive heart failure is a required part of getting old, because a study shows that exercise can help prevent this very common condition. […]
Survival Time if You Have a 20 Percent Ejection Fraction
An ejection fraction of 20 percent is pretty bad, and if you know someone whose EF is this low, you’ll wonder how much longer their survival time may be. Three Year Survival Rate of 20% [...]
Can a Heart Problem Cause the Legs to Feel Cold?
If you’re wondering whether a heart problem can cause a cold sensation in the legs, your hunch is dead-on. That cold feeling in your legs can be caused by congestive heart failure. [...]
Yes, Blue Fingernails Can Mean a Serious Heart Problem
Causes of blue fingernails don’t always mean that something’s wrong with your heart, but in some cases, a heart problem can cause fingernails to turn a bluish color. […]
Best Exercise for Chronic Heart Failure Patients
There are several types of exercise for chronic heart failure patients that research shows are very beneficial. If you have heart failure, you will benefit more from exercise than from a sedentary life. The first [...]
Steady State Cardio vs. HIIT for Congestive Heart Failure
The question isn’t just if HIIT is safe for congestive heart failure patients, but does it improve the function of their heart better than steady state cardio. […]
Best Kind of Exercise for Sufferers of Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure does not mean you cannot or should not exercise. In fact, it's just what the doctor ordered. You should know what the best kind of exercise there is for your condition. One [...]
Edema, Swelling in Legs from Obesity vs. Heart Failure
How does one tell if the “edema” in their lower legs is strictly from obesity vs. congestive heart failure? Though an obese person may also have heart failure, there are obese people who do not [...]
Causes of Congestive Heart Failure in Younger Adults
Congestive heart failure isn’t just an “old person” disease; it strikes young adults—and for specific reasons. The reasons differ from those for elderly people. What Is Congestive Heart Failure? Failure of the heart to adequately pump [...]
Congestive Heart Failure vs. ALS: Symptom Comparison
If you’ve been suffering from worsening fatigue, congestive heart failure may come to mind, but ALS can also cause this. Is there a difference between early stages of ALS fatigue and that of mild congestive [...]
Can Elderly Heart Failure Patients Benefit from Cardio Exercise?
An elderly person who's been diagnosed with chronic heart failure absolutely must do aerobic exercise. Doctors warn that the absence of cardio exercise is bad for the patient's body. If you’re over age 60 and [...]
Raising Ejection Fraction: Exercise & Other Lifestyle Changes
How effective can exercise be at raising ejection fraction? What else can raise ejection fraction other than exercise? “There are some patient populations where ejection fraction is modestly increased with regular exercise,” says Norman E. [...]
How Much Will Mild Chronic Heart Failure Affect Exercise?
Suppose a person has been exercising for years, but then gradually develops chronic heart failure. How noticeable or rapid will the decline be in this person’s ability to exercise? “The decline in function will depend [...]
How Low Can Ejection Fraction Be without Congestive HF?
Is it possible to have a really low ejection fraction and still not have congestive heart failure? “There are two major types of congestive heart failure (CHF),” begins Norman E. Lepor, MD, cardiologist and internal [...]
Can Heart Problems Cause Sudden Weight Gain?
The kind of weight gain that heart problems can cause is not the same that's caused by eating too much. In fact, weight gain from chronic heart failure has absolutely nothing to do with body [...]
Can Heart Bypass Surgery Prevent Congestive Heart Failure?
Are you wondering if coronary bypass surgery, aka CABG, can prevent the development of chronic heart failure? Heart failure may involve fluid buildup in the legs that needs to be controlled with medication. In other [...]
Can an MRA Detect Congestive Heart Failure?
An MRA (magnetic resonance angiogram) is often used to see if there’s anything wrong with the heart and associated structures. If someone has an MRA, the report will include what the ejection fractions are for [...]
Best Type of Exercise for Improving Ejection Fraction
Not all exercise is the same when it comes to improving ejection fraction in heart failure patients. There is a certain type of exercise that research has shown to improve one’s ejection fraction remarkably well, [...]
Best Diet for Improving Congestive Heart Failure
If you’ve been diagnosed with heart failure, you’ll want to seriously consider changing your diet as part of your treatment. A study from the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center shows that after only 21 [...]
Can Obesity & Overweight Cause Congestive Heart Failure?
When one thinks of obesity's harm to the heart, it's usually clogged arteries. But being fat can impair the heart's pumping action: heart failure. The heart fails to pump the amount of blood it's supposed [...]
Can Congestive Heart Failure Make Troponin Rise and Fall?
You may know that congestive heart failure can cause troponin elevation, but would this elevation necessarily stay there or can it “spike”? A blood test that comes back elevated for troponin always means that something [...]
Mild Congestive Heart Failure’s Effect on Exercise
Mild congestive heart failure may not even be noticeable to the person who has it, even when they are exercising. “Usually if the mild congestive heart failure comes on very gradually and it is only [...]
Can Congestive Heart Failure Cause Only Edema?
Edema refers to fluid retention such as that in the lower legs that causes swelling, but can this be the ONLY symptom of congestive heart failure? Can a person feel and function just fine otherwise, [...]