Risk factors include smoking, obesity, excess alcohol consumption, and a diet high in fat and salt. Heart failure may affect either the right side, left side, or both sides of the heart. Advanced heart failure results when a person's heart is not pumping well enough to circulate blood to meet the demands of the body. As pumping action is lost, blood may back up into other areas of the body, including the liver, gastrointestinal tract, extremities or the lungs. Advanced heart failure is a difficult medical condition to treat.
Many patients end up in and out of the hospital.
For some patients a heart transplant is the answer. For patients who are too old or have other health ailments, a transplant is not an option. Researchers at the Heart Failure Center at St. Luke's Hospital are studying a new technique that could drastically improve the quality of life for heart failure patients. They have found the new technique reduces hospitalizations for these patients. The new technique uses an intravenous medicine and a tiny electrical pump.