Getting a Second Opinion about Treatment Options Getting the right treatment starts with knowing what treatment options are available. For that reason, you may want to get a second opinion to confirm your treatment plan when you have a problem as complex as heart failure. You will want to make sure that your treatment is based on expert analysis by experienced cardiologists, and importantly, the latest medical and surgical advances in heart failure. This ensures that the treatment plan determined for you is the most appropriate and most beneficial option available today. Treating Heart Failure Heart failure often can be successfully managed with medication and lifestyle changes such as getting more rest, stopping smoking, modifying diet to reduce salt intake, and limiting physical activity.
Lifestyle changes are critical to the success of all treatment plans.
Medical Therapies Various drugs or drug combinations may be used to treat heart failure. Calcium channel blockers and beta blockers are other classes of drugs which physicians are exploring to treat heart failure. When heart failure is so advanced that aggressive medical therapy and diet aren't enough, surgery may offer the greatest benefit. People who were not candidates for conventional operations in the past may now benefit from new surgical procedures performed at very select U.S. hospitals. Although they are not new surgeries, revascularization and valve surgery can successfully treat some patients with heart failure caused by coronary artery disease or valve disease.