Choice of drugs and treatment of heart failure & bull; hello healthy

Heart failure is one of several heart problems characterized by decreased heart function. When experiencing this, the heart cannot pump blood optimally throughout the body. However, proper heart failure treatment can help maintain a healthy body, as well as prolong the life expectancy of the sufferer. What drug and treatment options can you choose for heart failure? Check out the following explanation.

Medicines to treat heart failure

According to the Mayo Clinic, doctors usually treat heart failure using a combination of several drugs. The doctor will give you medication based on the symptoms of heart failure you are experiencing. Medicines your doctor may give to treat heart failure include:

1. ACE inhibitors

This drug is usually given to patients with systolic heart failure in order to have a longer life expectancy and have a better quality of life. ACE inhibitors are a type of vasodilator, which are drugs that help dilate blood vessels to lower blood pressure.

In addition, this drug also increases blood flow and reduces the workload of the heart. There are several types of ACE inhibitor drugs that doctors usually prescribe for heart failure patients, including:

• Captopril (Capoten).
• Enalapril (Vasotec).
• Fosinopril (Monopril).
• Perindropril (Aceon).
• Ramipril (Altace).

2. Angiotensin II receptor blockers

Angiotensin II receptor blockers may also be prescribed by doctors as medications for heart failure. Medicines for heart disease also have benefits that are not much different from ACE inhibitors. If the patient cannot take ACE inhibitor drugs, this drug is one of the best alternatives.

The following are angiotensin II receptor blockers that are often prescribed for heart failure patients:

• Candesartan (Atacand).
• Losartan (Cozaar).
• Valsartan (Diovan).

3. Beta blockers

This class of drugs is not only useful for slowing down the heart rate and lowering blood pressure. However, beta blockers are also useful for reducing heart damage due to systolic heart failure.

This heart failure drug also relieves various symptoms that may arise, improves heart function, and helps patients to have a longer chance of life. Some of the types of beta blockers your doctor may prescribe for heart failure include:

• Bisoprolol (Zebeta).
• Metoprolol succinate (Toprol XL).
• Carvedilol (Coreg).
• Carvedilol CR (Coreg CR).
• Toprol XL.

4. Diuretic

This drug, which is also often referred to as water pills, can be used to treat heart failure. This drug makes heart failure patients urinate more often. This heart failure medication can also decrease the fluid found in the lungs, making it easier for patients to breathe more easily.

However, the use of these drugs can potentially make the body deficient in potassium and magnesium. Therefore, when prescribing this medication for heart failure, the doctor may also prescribe mineral supplements. The doctor will also regularly draw the patient's blood to monitor potassium and magnesium levels in the body.

5. Aldosterone antagonists

This drug is a type of diuretic that contains more potassium than ordinary diuretics. However, this drug also has several other ingredients that can also help patients with severe heart failure live longer.

Even so, aldosterone antagonists can raise levels of potassium in the blood to dangerous levels. Therefore, consult your doctor if increased potassium can be a problem, and try to adjust the type of food you eat, especially those with potassium in it.

The aldosterone antagonists that doctors often prescribe for heart failure include:

• Spironolactone (Aldactone).
• Eplerenone (Inspra).

6. Inotropic

In contrast to previous medications for heart failure, inotropes are drugs that are given by a doctor in a hospital. The reason is, this drug is an intravenous drug that is given to treat heart failure at an already severe level.

Therefore, inotropes cannot be used independently at home. The benefits of inotropes are to improve the pumping function of the heart and keep blood pressure stable.

7.Digoxin (Lanoxin)

This heart failure drug serves to maintain the strength of the contraction of the heart muscle. In addition, this drug can help slow down a heartbeat that is beating too fast. The use of this drug is useful for relieving symptoms of systolic heart failure. Therefore, this drug tends to be more effective when given to patients who have problems with heart rhythm.

Procedures that can be done for the treatment of heart failure

Apart from the use of drugs, there are several procedures and the installation of medical devices that can be an alternative treatment for heart failure. Some of them:

1. Use a pacemaker

Instead of prescribing medication for heart failure, the doctor may attach a medical device called a pacemaker to address the patient's health condition. Usually, patients who have a heart rate that is too weak are advised to use this tool.

This tool can monitor the heart rate periodically, and will send electrical pressure to the patient's heart to keep the heart rate at a normal rate. This device will be implanted into the body by a cardiac surgeon.

The patient will be asked to stay in the hospital overnight after the pacemaker is installed. The goal is to ensure that the tool can work properly.

2.Installation of implantahle cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)

In addition to the installation of a pacemaker, treatment of heart failure can also be done by installing a device called a implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) . Some people with severe heart failure or serious arrhythmias will need this tool.

This instrument is implanted in your body through a surgical procedure when a life-threatening arrhythmia is detected. Although it has often been successful in saving lives, installation of this tool is only recommended by doctors on certain occasions.

3. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)

After the use of drugs for heart failure, installation of medical devices can also be used to treat the condition. Usually, some heart failure patients will experience disturbances in the heart's electrical system, which changes the patient's heart rate.

When experiencing these conditions, cardiac resynchronization therapy may have to be done. In this procedure, a special pacemaker is used to make the ventricles contract more normally.

This therapy aims to improve heart function, reduce the patient's risk of being hospitalized and increase the patient's chances of survival.

4.Ventricular assist devices (VAD)

VAD is another alternative that can also be done in addition to the use of heart failure drugs and other medications. The VAD is a tool used to prevent severe heart failure. A VAD is in the form of an implantable pump that is implanted in the abdomen or chest, with the role of pumping blood from the lower heart chambers (ventricles) throughout the body.

VAD can also be used as an alternative for people with severe heart failure who do not qualify for a heart transplant.

5. Heart transplant

Heart transplants are usually the last resort for people with serious heart failure, when even medication cannot help recovery. On the other hand, heart transplantation is believed to improve the quality of life for people with heart failure.

But not in a fast process, sufferers still have to be patient waiting for the arrival of a suitable heart donor. It is important to remember that heart transplants are not a one-size-fits-all method of treating heart failure. This will be readjusted to your health condition, symptoms of the disease, and the benefits for your body.

6. Heart bypass surgery

Heart bypass surgery is usually more aimed at those with coronary heart disease, due to narrowing of the arteries responsible for supplying oxygen to the heart. When these blocked arteries lead to heart failure, the doctor will recommend heart bypass surgery.

When undergoing a heart bypass surgery procedure, the surgeon will cut a blood vessel from another part of the body to be attached or sutured with the blocked blood vessel. This procedure uses a blood vessel from another part of the body as a new shortcut to the blocked artery to drain blood back to the heart.

After heart bypass surgery, the doctor will ask you to reduce the amount of fat in each food you eat, for example cholesterol intake which must be reduced. The reason is, fat and cholesterol can increase the potential for arteries to become clogged again.

In addition, the doctor will also advise you to exercise more regularly to restore the strength of the heart muscle.

7. Surgical repair or replacement of heart valves

If a damaged heart valve has the potential to cause heart failure, the treatment option that must be done is to repair the heart valve. Valve repair can be done by reconnecting the damaged valve, or removing excess valve tissue so that it can be closed completely.

However, not all valves that are damaged can be repaired. If the heart valve cannot be repaired, another alternative that can be done to treat heart failure is to do a heart valve replacement. In this procedure, the valve that has been damaged is replaced with an artificial valve.

8. Angioplasty

A medical procedure that can also be done to treat heart failure angioplasty. Basically, this medical procedure can also be done to treat various other heart problems, such as coronary heart disease and heart attacks.

This is because heart failure can occur when there is a blockage in the arteries, thus limiting blood flow to the heart. It is a major cause of heart attacks. If a heart attack can be treated so that heart function can be improved again, heart failure may be prevented.

Well, angioplasty is a procedure that can help blocked blood vessels open again, so that blood flow to the heart can return to normal.

Usually, this procedure is performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory. During this procedure, a long, thin catheter will be inserted into the body through an artery in the inner thigh to the blocked artery in the heart.

Generally, this catheter is equipped with a special balloon that will push the blocked artery back open. When the vessel is opened, the balloon will be removed from the artery. The doctor may place a heart ring or stent permanently inside the blocked vessel so it doesn't close again.

While there is a slight chance that the blocked arteries will be damaged during the angioplasty procedure, it has a high potential to help restore the patient's health.

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