Enjoying Life While Managing Heart Failure
Advanced treatments and specialty teams may be recommended when your symptoms are not controlled with the usual medicines and/or procedures and devices described above. This would include:
Medicines that are used in the hospital to give your heart a temporary boost can also be given continuously, even at home if needed.
Sometimes heart failure is so severe that a heart transplant may be considered. Many factors determine whether a person should be on a waiting list for a heart transplant. Some of these factors include age, overall health, and severity of heart failure.
These devices help the heart pump or take over the pumping of the heart when it is failing. LVADs can be used instead of a heart transplant, or to support the heart while waiting for a heart transplant.
Palliative care is a team approach to improve your quality of life by easing the stress, pain and symptoms of heart failure. Palliative care may be a part of your plan in addition to other treatments for your heart failure. The palliative care team can also help you and your family with making decisions about the end of life and when you want your care to be more focused on providing comfort. Making decisions about the kind of care you want at the end of life can be difficult but also can offer you peace of mind.
Interactive Guide