Heart Failure Specialists in ESI, Delhi

What is Heart Failure?

Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart muscle becomes unable to pump blood efficiently enough to meet the body's needs, leading to a backup of fluid in the lungs, legs, and other tissues. It can result from the heart muscle becoming weakened and unable to contract properly, or from the heart becoming stiff and unable to relax and fill with blood adequately between beats. Heart failure typically develops as the end result of other cardiac conditions such as coronary artery disease, long-standing hypertension, or valve disease that have progressively damaged the heart over time. Symptoms often worsen gradually, though acute episodes of decompensation can occur suddenly and require urgent hospital treatment. While heart failure cannot usually be cured, it can be effectively managed with medication and lifestyle changes to control symptoms, slow progression, and extend life expectancy.

Causes of Heart Failure

Most commonly caused by coronary artery disease and prior heart attacks that weaken the heart muscle, alongside long-standing hypertension that forces the heart to work harder over time. Other causes include valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, and congenital heart defects. Diabetes, obesity, excessive alcohol use, and certain chemotherapy drugs can also contribute to the development or worsening of heart failure.

Symptoms of Heart Failure

Shortness of breath especially on exertion or lying flat, fatigue and weakness, swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet, rapid or irregular heartbeat, persistent cough or wheezing, sudden weight gain from fluid retention, reduced appetite, difficulty concentrating

Treatment & Types of Heart Failure in ESI, Delhi

Treatment involves medications including ACE inhibitors or ARBs, beta-blockers, diuretics to reduce fluid overload, and newer agents such as SGLT2 inhibitors, all aimed at reducing symptoms and improving heart function. Lifestyle measures such as salt and fluid restriction, weight monitoring, and regular but appropriately paced physical activity are important components of management. Advanced cases may require devices such as pacemakers or defibrillators, or in severe cases, heart transplantation.

Heart failure is classified as heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, where the heart muscle is weakened and cannot contract properly, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, where the heart contracts normally but has become stiff and cannot relax and fill adequately between beats. It is also staged by symptom severity using functional classifications, ranging from no symptoms with normal activity to severe symptoms occurring even at rest, which guides treatment intensity.

Cardiology Specialists in ESI, Delhi (2)

Frequently Asked Questions