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Patients in The Bellevue Hospital’s new Cardiac
Rehabilitation program have the option of participating
in the hospital’s Heart Failure Clinic within the
Cardiac Rehab Department. The program combines combines
education and follow-up care.
Heart failure is a common condition that usually
develops slowly as the heart muscle weakens and needs to
work harder to keep blood flowing through the body.
Heart failure patients tend to be readmitted to
hospitals quite frequently, and one of the goals is to
keep them out of hospitals by helping them to understand
and monitor their own condition. Heart failure affects
more than 5 million people in the United States, with up
to 700,000 new cases diagnosed each year. It is also the
most common and expensive discharge diagnosis among
hospital patients age 65 and older.
Heart failure can develop following an injury to the
heart, such as heart attack, long-term high blood
pressure, an abnormality of one of the heart valves,
diabetes, enlargement of the heart, or a heart murmur.
Warning signs of heart failure may include:
- shortness
of breath
- weakness
or tiredness with little effort
- problems
breathing while lying flat or a need to sleep in a
recliner
- waking
up at night coughing or shortness of breath
- rapid
weight gain
- swelling
in the abdomen, ankles, or feet
- confusion
or trouble concentrating
- racing
or skipping heart
- dizziness
or fainting
The Heart Failure Clinic is a voluntary program that
most insurance companies will cover. Topics covered
during the educational process include causes of heart
failure, tests to determine heart failure and what they
mean, medications and their actions/side effects,
monitoring weights daily and their importance in heart
failure management, symptoms and what to do, activity &
exercise, how to decrease fatigue, low sodium diet,
emotions associated with heart failure, and smoking
cessation.
The Bellevue Hospital’s Heart Failure Clinic is open
Monday-Wednesday-Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For
additional information, contact Hollie Alda at (419)
483-4040, Ext. 4303. |
