Treatment

Heart failure is a lifelong condition that needs to be managed. There are a number of treatment options, which will ultimately depend on:

• The underlying reason for the heart failure – for example, if you had a prior heart attack, or have high blood pressure or a valve problem.
• Your type of heart failure – often based on your ejection fraction (normal vs. low).
• How severe your heart failure is; there is a very wide range of severity from very mild to extremely severe. This is estimated based on your symptoms.
• Other existing conditions such as your kidney function.

Treatment generally includes a combination of lifestyle changes, medications, cardiac rehab, and procedures, including devices such as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

It’s also important to make sure any other health conditions that can make heart failure worse – for example, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, iron deficiency with or without anemia, and kidney disease – also are being monitored and treated.