Managing Chronic Diastolic or Systolic Heart Failure
Key Takeaways
- Heart failure is a condition where your heart no longer functions correctly to circulate oxygen in your body.
- This condition may develop in different ways, such as chronic diastolic heart failure or systolic heart failure.
- Depending on the severity of your condition and the likely causes, your doctor can determine a course of treatment to improve heart function.
- You may need to make lifestyle changes, undergo surgery, or take medications.
- Medicare coverage can help you access the treatments and counseling you need to manage chronic heart failure.
Caring for your heart can be a matter of life or death. In fact, heart disease causes one in five deaths among U.S. adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Heart failure happens when your heart stops functioning correctly, interfering with circulation of oxygen through your body. In turn, the lack of oxygen affects your other organs and can lead to many other serious health issues.
There are different types of heart failure that may require a range of treatments. For example, congestive heart failure occurs when fluid builds up in other parts of your body, such as your legs or lungs. This type of heart failure may progress in a few different ways.
Left-sided heart failure affects your heart’s left ventricle, the pumping chamber that sends oxygenated blood to the rest of your body:
- In chronic diastolic heart failure, the left ventricle is too stiff to fill up with blood.
- In chronic systolic heart failure, the ventricle becomes too weak to pump blood back out.
Meanwhile, your heart’s right ventricle is tasked with pumping blood from the rest of your body back into your lungs to be oxygenated. If you have left-sided failure, the entire heart can gradually weaken until you also experience right-sided heart failure.
By understanding the causes of heart failure and learning how to access preventive care, treatment, and support, you’ll be better prepared to manage your cardiovascular health.
Have questions about your Medicare coverage?
Causes of Heart Failure
Heart failure occurs when your heart suffers damage, weakness, or stiffness and no longer works normally. As you age, it gets harder for your heart to function, increasing the chances of heart failure. Your lifestyle might put you at higher risk, especially if you drink alcohol, smoke, eat an unhealthy diet, or don’t get enough exercise.
Possible triggers include:
- Coronary heart disease: The most common reason for congestive heart failure, this condition occurs due to a buildup of fatty deposits that narrows your arteries (the blood vessels that transport oxygen from the heart to the rest of the body). Once an artery becomes blocked, you can suffer a heart attack.
- High blood pressure: When your blood pressure, which is the force of your blood pushing against your arteries, gets too high, your heart has to work harder. Eventually, the heart can become too weak or stiff.
- Arrhythmia: An irregular heart rhythm that’s either too fast or too slow may result in heart failure.
- Myocarditis: Inflammation of the heart tissue, frequently brought on by a virus, can cause left-sided heart failure.
- Congenital heart defect: You may be born with a condition in which parts of your heart never form properly.
- Heart valve failure: Your heart may become weak because one of the valves that allow blood flow isn’t working correctly.
Heart Failure Symptoms
When you have heart failure, less oxygen circulates to your organs and fluid builds up in your body’s tissues. You may experience related symptoms like:
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness
- Difficulty sleeping
- Coughing
- Swelling
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Frequent urination
Without treatment and lifestyle changes, you could face serious complications such as damage to the kidneys or sudden cardiac arrest.
Based on your symptoms, a healthcare provider can determine what stage of heart failure you’ve reached, which helps to decide on a course of treatment. The classification system established by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association consists of four stages:
- You don’t have any apparent symptoms, but you’re at risk due to conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity.
- You feel fatigued and short of breath when you exert yourself.
- You struggle to perform everyday tasks.
- You’re short of breath even when you’re resting and may need to be hospitalized repeatedly.
Heart Failure Treatment
If you’re diagnosed with heart failure, your doctor will decide on a course of treatment based on the likely causes and how advanced your case has become. That often involves both making lifestyle changes and taking medications such as:
- ACE inhibitors to lower blood pressure
- Beta blockers to manage symptoms by slowing your heart rate and reducing blood pressure
- Diuretics to address fluid buildup and cause you to urinate more
- SGLT2 inhibitors to lower the chances of a major cardiovascular event
- Digoxin to help the heart pump more efficiently
For severe symptoms, you may need a hospital stay or supplemental oxygen. In some cases, a doctor recommends a surgery like:
- A coronary artery bypass graft, which gives your blood an alternative pathway around blocked arteries
- Repairing or replacing a damaged heart valve
- Implanting a cardioverter-defibrillator to monitor the heartbeat and correct irregularities with an electrical shock
- Cardiac resynchronization therapy to improve the coordination between your heart’s chambers
- A heart transplant for cases where medication and surgery aren’t sufficient
Can Congestive Heart Failure Be Reversed?
There isn’t a cure for congestive heart failure, which is usually chronic and grows more severe as it progresses. However, following a treatment plan may prevent your condition from worsening and even improve your heart’s function, reducing your symptoms.
We’re here to help you find the right plan for your needs.
Medicare Coverage To Manage Heart Failure
Medicare, the public health insurance program for U.S. adults who are over 65 or have certain disabilities, can help you access services for heart failure prevention, treatment, and recovery.
Original Medicare consists of Medicare Part A and Part B. Medicare Part A is hospital insurance that covers inpatient care to stabilize diastolic heart failure, reduce congestion, and determine the best steps for ongoing treatment.
Medicare Part B is medical insurance for outpatient care such as:
- Cardiovascular disease screenings, including blood tests. Part B pays the full costs of a screening every five years.
- Medically necessary x-rays and lab tests to diagnose your condition.
- Doctor’s appointments, including with specialists like cardiologists, if they accept Medicare.
- Cardiac rehabilitation programs, including counseling and exercise, after you’ve experienced chronic heart failure or another serious condition.
While Original Medicare covers medications you receive in a clinical setting, it doesn’t pay for prescriptions you take at home to manage your heart condition. You’ll need a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan to help with those costs. You can either enroll in a standalone Part D plan or switch to a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan, which substitutes for Original Medicare and may provide additional benefits.
Chronic heart failure is a serious condition that can have lasting consequences. However, there are treatments and lifestyle changes that might make a big difference in your outcomes. Make sure you have the right coverage to access care and counseling for cardiovascular and pulmonary disease.
Sources
- Heart Disease Facts. CDC.
- What is Heart Failure? American Heart Association.
- 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure. AHA Journals.