Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure
With congestive heart failure (CHF), the heart is unable to pump the necessary amount of blood throughout the body. This causes blood to “back-up: in the veins. Fluid pools in the liver and lungs. Swelling occurs first in the feet, ankles and legs. Then the swelling occurs throughout the body as the kidneys begin to retain fluid. Symptoms of congestive heart failure include:
- Abdominal pain and tenderness
- Cough
- Fatigue, weakness
- Frequent urination, especially at night
- Need to sleep propped up
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling of feet ankles or legs
- Unexplained weight gain
- Wheezing
Living with a chronic—and sometimes debilitating—heart condition is challenging. Our Heart Center was designed to reduce the need for emergency room visits and hospitalizations and help manage those challenges.
Diagnosis & testing
Your highly specialized team of physicians at Lakeview Hospital will ask you about your symptoms and medical history and perform a physical exam. They may prescribe diagnostic tests such as:
- Blood tests
- Chest x-ray
- Coronary angiography
- Echocardiogram
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Electrophysiology study
- Exercise stress test
- MRI
- Nuclear scanning
- Transesophageal echocardiography
- Urine tests
Click here to schedule an appointment with one of our Heart & Vascular Care providers.