Heart failure guide

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What is heart failure?

What is heart failure? It does not mean your heart is about to stop. Heart failure is an unfortunate phrase which describes a set of conditions. The Pumping Marvellous Foundation like to call heart failure “heart inefficiency” or just HF.

How to diagnose heart failure

Getting to the point where a heart failure diagnosis is made usually takes several steps, however one simple blood test (NT-proBNP) is usually the first test.

Newly diagnosed

We reckon you are feeling terrific about the new you? A heart failing, everything you seem to read is negative and therefore, what does the future hold? We reckon you feel as though you need to give up?

NYHA Scale

The New York Heart Association Functional Classification or NHYA for short, is a simple way for your doctor or nurse to classify your heart failure. It is based on your physical ability to do things, as well as other potential symptoms like your breathing and shortness of breath.

Living well with heart failure

We want to use data and academic studies; we want to tell real stories from our amazing and committed Pumping Marvellous Heart Failure patient and family community; and we want to continue to work with our world leading team of clinical advisers, to improve people’s lives.

Monitoring your symptoms

Recognising a change in your symptoms is essential but what to do if they get worse is the most important. Always have your symptom checker to hand with your healthcare team’s contact details.

Types of heart failure

Heart failure specialists believe there are three types of heart failure. HFrEF (Heart Failure with reduced Ejection Fraction), HFmrEF (Heart Failure with mid-range Ejection Fraction) and HFpEF (Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction).

Treatments

As the treatment for Heart Failure varies depending on whether the ejection fraction is preserved or reduced, the information contained here summarises the management of patients who have Heart Failure with reduced Ejection Fraction.

Medications

When you have heart failure, one of the cornerstones to support proper functioning of your heart is medication. The drugs recommended for heart failure are proven to help your symptoms, improve your outlook, and increase your life expectancy.

Cardiac Devices

This page deals with CRT devices CRT-P, CRT-D and ICD. CRT stands for Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy, the “D” for defibrillator and the “P” for pacing. Often when people have heart failure their heart is weak and may be damaged in places.

Cardiac Rehab

There is evidence that people with heart failure gain significant improvement as a result of attending heart failure rehabilitation. These are usually formal exercise classes designed for patients with heart failure.

Guide to heart valves

The heart is divided into four chambers and in order for the blood to flow from one chamber to another, there are valves that function as gates. The heart valves open and close so that the blood does not flow backwards and ensures it flows in the right direction.

Iron deficiency

Iron deficiency is prevalent in patients with heart failure and is often neglected. It is an independent predictor of outcomes and a major contributor to exercise intolerance, even in the absence of anaemia.

LVADS

LVAD stands for Left Ventricular Assist Device. It is an implanted device that works to supports your heart. A LVAD does not replace your heart but works with it to pump more blood around the body with less effort.

Transplant

A heart transplant is the removal of an extremely damaged heart and replaced with a healthy heart from a donor. A heart transplant occurs when a heart can no longer support the rest of the body by supplying sufficient amounts of blood to other organs. A transplant will only be recommended for someone with end stage heart failure.

Glossary of Terms

View our glossary of heart failure terms.

Palliative Care

Since 2018, Palliative Care, with its inclusion into the NICE Chronic Heart Failure Guidelines for Adults, is important for patients and their families to know that palliative care is integrated into standardised care as set out by the guidelines.

…we have lots of ways for you to help!

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Your donation will go to help people live better with heart failure across the UK, by helping us provide educational material and support to them and their families

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The easiest way to donate online is by using our Enthuse facility. Every penny we receive from you we use to help support our patient community.

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Use the button on our charity’s public page on facebook Heart Failure Aware to help us provide support to heart failure patients and their carers.

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By Post

Sending a cheque or bankers draft made out to “Pumping Marvellous Foundation” to

Pumping Marvellous Foundation
Business First,
Millennium City Park,
Millennium Road,
Preston, PR2 5BL, UK

Secret sauce

Dictionary – “A special quality or feature regarded as the chief factor in the success of something or someone.”

So, what’s your “Secret Sauce?” What makes you tick?

At Pumping Marvellous, we know it takes some real inner drive to live well with heart failure. Pumping Marvellous are Secret Sauce catalysts; we draw out people’s inner Secret Sauce, people’s superpowers and enable other people to learn from other people’s experiences.

Learn more

Pumping Marvellous

Click on the links to explore

What is heart failure?

How to diagnose heart failure

Newly diagnosed

NYHA Scale

Living well with heart failure

Monitoring your symptoms

Types of heart failure

Treatments

Medications

Cardiac Devices

Cardiac Rehab

Guide to heart valves

Iron deficiency

LVADS

Transplant

Glossary of Terms

Palliative Care

Donate

…we have lots of ways for you to help!

#beathf

online

Facebook

By Post

Secret sauce

About us

Who, What, Why?

Get involved

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