The heart is what we love to talk about, whether it’s casual conversation or pop culture. We recall our high school crushes, we sit in yoga and we share our heartbreaks.
Human heart is essential and important, but it is not perfect. Heart disease is responsible for more than a million hospitalizations annually in the United States and unimaginable $31 trillion dollars in health care costs. Heart failure is a progressive, chronic and progressively worsening condition with high mortality. It affects more Americans than 5.1 million.
Are you at risk of a broken heart? These are five facts you should know about heart failure:
1: An overworked heart can cause heart failure.
When the heart is unable to pump blood enough to meet the body’s needs, it is called heart failure. Patients with heart disease such as heart attack, coronary artery disease, or high blood pressure will initially find it harder to supply the body with adequate blood. As the heart gets overworked, the muscle of the heart gradually becomes weaker. Heart failure is a condition where the heart stops pumping efficiently over time.
2: It can be difficult to recognize heart failure.
Heart failure is usually not diagnosed until the victim has suffered a stroke or heart attack. Heart disease and other diseases are the leading causes of heart problems.
3: Heart failure is quite common.
Each day, someone is admitted to a hospital in America for heart failure. This disease affects 550,000 Americans each year. 30 percent of those who are diagnosed will die within six to twelve months.
Certain groups are at greater risk. African-Americans are 20x more likely to develop heart disease before age 40. The highest risk group is those over 65.
4: There is still hope.
Heart failure patients have the option of new monitoring and treatment options. This includes the CardioMEMSHF System, which is a revolutionary remote monitoring system for patients suffering from Class III heart disease. This device was developed by St. Jude MedicalIt acts as a monitor between the patient’s home and their care team, by sending vital information remotely to the doctor’s office.
5: Take control
Your physician should schedule a checkup if you’re at high risk for developing heart disease. Discuss your options with your physician if you have heart disease.
For a reason, the human heart is a prominent part of our daily conversation. Do not take this organ for granted. More information on St. Jude Medical, and its commitment for healthy hearts can be found at www.heartfailureanswers.com.
The CardioMEMSHF System can wirelessly measure and monitor pulmonary artery pressure (PA) and heart rate in New York Heart Association Class III heart failure patients. Doctors can use hemodynamic data for heart failure management to reduce the number of heart failure hospitalizations.
Patients who are unable to take dual anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs for at least one month after surgery should not use the CardioMEMS HF System.
The potential side effects of implantation include but are not limited: bleeding, infection, arrhythmias and stroke. The user’s manual contains detailed information, warnings and precautions as well as potential adverse events.
