Treatment for congestive heart failure should be guided by a cardiologist and usually involves the use of heart medicines such as carvedilol that strengthen heart muscle, hypotensive drugs such as Enalapril or Losartan to decrease blood pressure on the heart and diuretic medicines such as Furosemide to decrease fluid retention.
In addition to the remedies, it is still very important that the patient does regular physical exercise, such as walking or cycling, adapted by the cardiologist, physiotherapist or a physical education teacher, according to the severity of the disease.
Physiotherapy for heart failure may be necessary to aid in patient recovery and symptom reduction, and in more severe cases heart transplantation may be necessary.
Learn how diet can improve heart failure with our nutritionist:
Treatment for decompensated heart failure
The treatment for decompensated heart failure should be done at the hospital with the use of oxygen and medicines directly into the vein, since it is common for the patient to present great difficulty in breathing due to the accumulation of blood in the veins that irrigate the lung.
Normally, decompensated heart failure arises when the patient does not treat properly, causing symptoms such as swelling in the body and difficulty breathing.
Medicines
The main remedies prescribed by the doctor to treat heart failure, especially chronic heart failure include Furosemide, Enalapril, Losartan, Carvedilol, Bisoprolol, Spironolactone or Valsartan.
The cardiologist may indicate the combination of 2 or more of these medications because they act differently in the body, improving the capacity of the heart.
Get to know other indicated remedies and their side effects.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapeutic treatment for heart failure usually involves aerobic, breathing and stretching exercises, as well as balance and resistance training to help decrease the symptoms of the disease and increase the patient's physical capacity, making them able to resume their daily activities.
At the outset, physical therapy should begin lightly and gradually, and great efforts should be avoided. After a few months, the patient already does more intense exercises, such as climbing stairs or using the exercise bike, for example.
What to do to treat
To complete the treatment recommended by the cardiologist, it is important to take some care, such as:
- Avoid using salt to season the food, replacing it with herbs;
- Raise the head of the bed at least 15 cm;
- Elevate legs at least 15 cm to sleep;
- Do not smoke and reduce your intake of alcoholic beverages;
- Monitor fluid intake as advised by physician.
In addition, some home remedies for heart failure such as tea leaves of avocado or rosemary tea, for example, can also lower pressure under the heart, helping to treat the disease. Learn how to make these home remedies in: Home remedy for heart failure.
Signs of improvement and worsening
Signs of improvement in heart failure come a few weeks after starting treatment and include improved fatigue, decreased breathing difficulty, ease of doing some difficult activities, and reduced swelling in the legs and other parts of the body.
Signs of worsening heart failure arise when treatment is not done properly and may include difficulty breathing, decreased urine output, and increased body swelling.
Possible Complications
Complications of heart failure usually occur when treatment is not done properly and include kidney failure, requiring dialysis, heart valve problems, liver damage, stroke, and even death.
If you want to know more about the treatment of this disease, also read:
- Remedy for heart failure
Benefits of physical activity in heart failure
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