Paula Zeller ext. The guidelines, which are based on the results of the latest clinical trials and outcomes research, call for wider use of medications proven capable of preventing heart failure in some high- risk patients, and improving comfort and longevity in patients with established heart failure. Heart failure is a treatable illness that can be managed. The guidelines address several problems, said Dr. Lee. Patients and their physicians and other health care providers need to work as partners in making treatment decisions.
Heart failure occurs when the heart fails to pump enough blood to meet the body's demands.
Symptoms can include shortness of breath, fatigue, frequent coughing, or swelling of the feet, ankles and legs. More than 2 million Americans have heart failure, and about 400,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Heart failure contributes to over 200,000 deaths annually. The death rate attributed to heart failure rose by 64 percent from 1970 to 1990. The guidelines urge better patient education and compliance, and call for the use of bypass surgery or angioplasty in selected instances.