February is Heart Month: Innovationsiin Heart Failure Care (NAPSA)—Heartfailure affects more than 5 million Americans. It is a chronic, progressive disease in which the heart’s ability to pump blood is reduced and the heart does not pump enough blood for the body’s need for oxygen. Knowing a few facts can be important to the health of heart failure patients. Whenthe Risk for Hospitalization is Highest Each year, more than 1 million people are hospitalized for heart failure and of those, 250,000 will be re-hospitalized within 30 days. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure, there is a significant increase in heart failure hospitalizations following popular events and holidays such as Super Bowl Sunday, the Fourth of July and Christmas, amongothers. Signs and Symptoms Understanding what to watch for is an important part of staying heart healthy. Heart failure symptoms are not always obvious. Some people in the very early stages of the disease may have no symptoms at all, but common symptomsinclude: Shortness of breath Swelling of the feet and legs *Lackof energy, feeling tired *Difficulty sleeping at night due to breathing problems Swollen or tender abdomen, loss of appetite *Cough with “frothy” mucus or phlegm *Increased urination at night Confusion Impaired memory What You Can Do Only your doctor can tell if you have heart failure and howfar the condition has progressed. If you or someone you care about experiences any of these symptoms, talk with a doctor. They will review your medical history, including past and present illnesses, family history and lifestyle. As part of your physical examination, the doctor will check your heart, lungs, abdomen and legsto see if signs of heart failure are present. Also ask your doctor about an important key indicator of heart The impactof heart failure is staggering” 2,14-16 5.1 million Americans suffer from HF™ And 50% die within 5 years? vonEE 1 million hospitalizations per year Of that group, approximately 25% will be readmitted within 30 days' References ?RogerVL,etal. JAMA. 2004;292:344-350. “GO AS,et al. Circulation. 2013;127:e6-e245. S Bradley EH,et al. CircCardiovasc QualOutcomes. 2013;6:444-450. Six Steps Could CutHeart Failure Readmissions. CircCardiovasc Qual Outcomes. American Heart Association. 2013. Accessed online at http//news roomheart.org/news/six-steps-could-cut-heart-failure-readmissions? health called ejection fraction, which can help to diagnose heart failure and determine the best treatmentplan. What Doctors Can Do Common treatment for heart failure includes medical therapy and lifestyle modifications. For some patients, many cardiology leaders say cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), a device-based treatment that may help improve the pumpingfunction of the heart, can be a beneficial option. Specifically, a CRT device is a type of pacemakeror defibrillator, implanted under the skin of the upper chest, with thin wires called leads that connect the device to the heart. These leads deliver electrical pulses to keep the ventricles (bottom chambers of the heart) beating in a synchronized rhythm. In some patients, this helps improve the overall pumping efficiency of the heart, which lessens the symptoms of heart failure and has also been shownto improve quality of life and increase lifespan. CRT is not for everyone, and not everyone who receives an implanted device benefits from the therapy. Help Is Available To give patients the most comprehensive approach to the management of heart failure, many hospitals are electing to use the newest CRT technology from Medtronic, the Viva CRT-defibril- @ lator and Viva CRT-pacemaker, which include the AdaptivCRT algorithm, a technology that preserves normal heart rhythms and automatically adjusts to the patient’s needs minute-by-minute, creating a customized therapy for each patient. According to The New England Journal of Medicine, clinical studies have shown CRT reduces mortality and heart failure hospitalizations. With AdaptivCRT, patients have demonstrated a 21 percent reduction in heart failure hospitalizations as compared to historical CRTtrials. In addition, AdaptivCRT has also been shown to reduce heart failure 30-day readmissions following a heart failure hospitalization, an unfortunate yet common occurrence among heartfailure patients, by 47 percent. Medtronic devices have been safely and effectively used for more than a decade to treat patients with mildly symptomatic, moderate or severe heart failure. Learn More Heart failure patients and their caregivers should talk with their cardiologist about the benefits and risks associated with the latest tools in heart failure management and if CRT is an appropriate option. For more information about cardiac resynchronization therapy, visit www.medtronic.com/ heartfailureinfo.
