Reading the Signs of Heart Failure

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Created on Tuesday, 28 February 2012 14:07

The signs are fairly subtle, but to people who have had a heart attack, they are serious warning signals.

Shortness of breath, after activities or even during the night. Sudden weight gain. Swelling in the feet, ankles and legs. Increased fatigue. Bloated stomach.

For a person whose heart has suffered damage, these signs are indicators that the heart is not filling or pumping properly. They’re signs of heart failure, which requires medical attention.

Heart failure is the number one reason that Canadians over the age of 65 are hospitalized.

But it’s not a simple fix. That’s because it doesn’t show up as one clear picture. People with heart disease usually have other chronic conditions, such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia. These patients have very complex conditions.

That’s why the Ross Memorial Hospital is working with the CKL Family Health Team and Community Care’s Community Health Centre to make it simpler for both patients and health care providers to recognize and control heart failure.

The first phase has involved “refreshing” healthcare providers in all three organizations with the heart failure best practice guidelines from the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. This tool breaks down the four stages of heart failure into the basics: the risk factors, the symptoms, the physiological signs, and the treatment, including medications and doses.

These guidelines turn what can be a maze of information into a clear flow chart ensuring the patient’s heart failure is diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.

The second phase involves educating the patient. If patients can recognize the signs of worsening heart failure after they’re discharged from the hospital, they can prevent return visits.

So the team has created an information sheet for patients, outlining the steps they need to take: eating healthy food and reducing salt intake, weighing themselves every day to detect fluid build up early, and avoiding smoking and alcohol.  

An important part of this care plan is the follow up; within one week of patients’ discharge, they’re to see their physician or nurse practitioner for follow up care.

Ongoing education and support can make a great deal of difference for people with heart failure. Sometimes, people whose abilities and activities have become severely limited can begin to feel like a burden on others, and suffer from depression and feelings of isolation.

But they’re not alone. Half a million people in Canada are living with heart failure, and another 50,000 are diagnosed each year.

People with heart failure can be referred by their physician to the hospital’s Heart Failure Clinic, which helps people to improve their quality of life by learning to read the signs.

If you’d like more information about the Heart Failure Clinic at RMH, visit our website, www.rmh.org.