BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuHeart failure - what to ask your doctor What to ask your doctor about heart failure; HF - what to ask your doctorYour heart is a pump that moves blood through your body. Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet your body's demands. As a result, blood does not move well and fluid builds up in places in your body that it should not. Most often, fluid collects in your lungs and legs. Heart failure most often occurs because your heart muscle is weak. However, it can happen for other reasons as well.Heart failureHeart failure is a condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body efficiently. This causes symptom...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsersBelow are some questions you may want to ask your health care provider to help you take care of your heart failure.QuestionsWhat kinds of heath checks do I need to do at home and how do I do them?Heath checksHeart failure is a condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body efficiently. This causes symptom...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article How do I check my pulse and blood pressure? How should I check my weight? When should I do these checks? What supplies do I need? How should I keep track of my blood pressure, weight, and pulse? What are the signs and symptoms that my heart failure is getting worse? Will I always have the same symptoms?What should I do if my weight goes up? If my legs swell up? If I feel more short of breath? If my clothes feel tight? What are the signs and symptoms that I am having angina or a heart attack? When should I call the provider? When should I call 911 or the local emergency number?What medicines am I taking to treat heart failure?MedicinesMost people who have heart failure need to take medicines. Some of these medicines are used to treat your symptoms. Others may help prevent your he...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Do they have any side effects? What should I do if I miss a dose? Is it ever safe to stop taking any of these medicines on my own? What over-the-counter medicines are not compatible with my regular medicines? How much activity or exercise can I do?Which activities are better to start with? Are there activities or exercises that are not safe for me? Is it safe for me to exercise on my own? Do I need to go to a cardiac rehabilitation program?Are there limits on what I can do at work?What should I do if I feel sad or very worried about my heart disease?How can I change the way I live to make my heart stronger?How much water or fluid can I drink every day? How much salt can I eat? What are other types of seasoning I can use instead of salt? What is a heart-healthy diet? Is it ever OK to eat something that is not heart-healthy? What are some ways to eat healthy when I go to a restaurant? Is it OK to drink alcohol? How much is OK? Is it OK to be around other people who are smoking? Is my blood pressure normal? What is my cholesterol, and do l need to take medicines for it? Is it OK to be sexually active? Is it safe to use sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis) for erection problems?Open ReferencesReferencesJanuzzi JL, Mann DL. Approach to the patient with heart failure. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine.12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 48.McMurray JJV, Pfeffer MA. Heart failure: treatment and prognosis. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 46.Rasmusson K, Flattery M, Baas LS. American association of heart failure nurses position paper on educating patients with heart failure. Heart Lung. 2015;44(2):173-177. PMID: 25649810 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25649810/.AllVideoImagesTogHeart - front view - illustration The external structures of the heart include the ventricles, atria, arteries and veins. Arteries carry blood away from the heart while veins carry blood into the heart. The vessels colored blue indicate the transport of blood with relatively low content of oxygen and high content of carbon dioxide. The vessels colored red indicate the transport of blood with relatively high content of oxygen and low content of carbon dioxide.Heart - front viewillustrationFoot swelling - illustration The abnormal buildup of fluid in the body is called edema. Edema is commonly seen in the feet and ankles, because of the effect of gravity, swelling is particularly noticeable in these locations. Common causes of edema are prolonged standing, prolonged sitting, pregnancy, being overweight, and increase in age.Foot swellingillustrationHeart - front view - illustration The external structures of the heart include the ventricles, atria, arteries and veins. Arteries carry blood away from the heart while veins carry blood into the heart. The vessels colored blue indicate the transport of blood with relatively low content of oxygen and high content of carbon dioxide. The vessels colored red indicate the transport of blood with relatively high content of oxygen and low content of carbon dioxide.Heart - front viewillustrationFoot swelling - illustration The abnormal buildup of fluid in the body is called edema. Edema is commonly seen in the feet and ankles, because of the effect of gravity, swelling is particularly noticeable in these locations. Common causes of edema are prolonged standing, prolonged sitting, pregnancy, being overweight, and increase in age.Foot swellingillustrationA Closer Look Heart failure(Alt. Medicine)Heart failure - InDepth(In-Depth)Myocardial infarction(Alt. Medicine)Coronary artery disease - InDepth(In-Depth)Pulmonary edema(Alt. Medicine)Atherosclerosis(Alt. Medicine)High blood pressure - InDepth(In-Depth)Hawthorn(Alt. Medicine)Coenzyme Q10(Alt. Medicine)Pericarditis(Alt. Medicine)Talking to your MD Heart failure - what to ask your doctor Self Care Heart failure in children - home care Tests for Heart failure - what to ask your doctor Pulmonary angiographyGlomerular filtration rateRelated Information Heart failure(Condition)Hypertensive heart disease(Condition)Atherosclerosis(Condition)Heart attack(Condition)High blood pressure in adults - hypertension(Condition)Cardiomyopathy(Condition)ACE inhibitors(Self-Care)Aspirin and heart disease(Self-Care)Cholesterol and lifestyle(Self-Care)Dietary fats explained(Self-Care)Fast food tips(Self-Care)Low-salt diet (Self-Care)Heart failure - fluids and diuretics(Self-Care)Heart failure - home monitoring(Self-Care)Heart failure - discharge(Discharge)Cholesterol - drug treatment(Self-Care)Coronary artery disease - InDepth(In-Depth)Heart failure - InDepth(In-Depth)High blood pressure - InDepth(In-Depth) Review Date: 1/1/2025 Reviewed By: Michael A. Chen, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. © 1997- All rights reserved. A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.
Heart failure - what to ask your doctor What to ask your doctor about heart failure; HF - what to ask your doctorYour heart is a pump that moves blood through your body. Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet your body's demands. As a result, blood does not move well and fluid builds up in places in your body that it should not. Most often, fluid collects in your lungs and legs. Heart failure most often occurs because your heart muscle is weak. However, it can happen for other reasons as well.Heart failureHeart failure is a condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body efficiently. This causes symptom...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsersBelow are some questions you may want to ask your health care provider to help you take care of your heart failure.QuestionsWhat kinds of heath checks do I need to do at home and how do I do them?Heath checksHeart failure is a condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body efficiently. This causes symptom...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article How do I check my pulse and blood pressure? How should I check my weight? When should I do these checks? What supplies do I need? How should I keep track of my blood pressure, weight, and pulse? What are the signs and symptoms that my heart failure is getting worse? Will I always have the same symptoms?What should I do if my weight goes up? If my legs swell up? If I feel more short of breath? If my clothes feel tight? What are the signs and symptoms that I am having angina or a heart attack? When should I call the provider? When should I call 911 or the local emergency number?What medicines am I taking to treat heart failure?MedicinesMost people who have heart failure need to take medicines. Some of these medicines are used to treat your symptoms. Others may help prevent your he...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Do they have any side effects? What should I do if I miss a dose? Is it ever safe to stop taking any of these medicines on my own? What over-the-counter medicines are not compatible with my regular medicines? How much activity or exercise can I do?Which activities are better to start with? Are there activities or exercises that are not safe for me? Is it safe for me to exercise on my own? Do I need to go to a cardiac rehabilitation program?Are there limits on what I can do at work?What should I do if I feel sad or very worried about my heart disease?How can I change the way I live to make my heart stronger?How much water or fluid can I drink every day? How much salt can I eat? What are other types of seasoning I can use instead of salt? What is a heart-healthy diet? Is it ever OK to eat something that is not heart-healthy? What are some ways to eat healthy when I go to a restaurant? Is it OK to drink alcohol? How much is OK? Is it OK to be around other people who are smoking? Is my blood pressure normal? What is my cholesterol, and do l need to take medicines for it? Is it OK to be sexually active? Is it safe to use sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis) for erection problems?Open ReferencesReferencesJanuzzi JL, Mann DL. Approach to the patient with heart failure. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine.12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 48.McMurray JJV, Pfeffer MA. Heart failure: treatment and prognosis. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 46.Rasmusson K, Flattery M, Baas LS. American association of heart failure nurses position paper on educating patients with heart failure. Heart Lung. 2015;44(2):173-177. PMID: 25649810 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25649810/.
