Heart failure

Heart Foundation Home > You & your heart > Cardiovascular conditions > Heart failure

Every year, an estimated 30,000 Australians are diagnosed with chronic heart failure.

Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle has become too weak to pump blood through the body as effectively as normal. This causes blood to 'dam up' behind the heart and fluid to collect in the lungs and other body tissues (oedema). This can result in tiredness, shortness of breath and swelling in the legs or ankles.

Symptoms

Diagnoses

Treatments

Management

The most common causes of heart failure include coronary heart disease, previous heart attack, long-term high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle).

Less common causes of heart failure include heart valve disease and thyroid problems.

Resources
Cardiomyopathy - information sheet
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - information sheet

Common symptoms of heart failure or chronic heart failure include shortness of breath, swelling of the ankles or belly, weight gain, tiredness, loss of appetite and dizziness and coughing.

There are a number of tests that your doctor can do to diagnose chronic heart failure.

Echocardiogram
This test uses ultrasound waves that come from a small hand piece placed on your chest wall. These waves bounce back to a detector and produce a picture of the heart as it beats, allowing your doctor to see the structure of your heart and how well it is working.
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
An ECG is a reading of your heart’s electrical impulses taken from electrical leads placed on your chest and limbs. It can be used to diagnose a heart attack or abnormal heart rhythms (called ‘arrhythmias’).
Angiogram
This is a special X-ray that shows whether or not your coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked. Under a local anaesthetic, a small tube (catheter) is inserted into an artery in your arm or groin and guided into the heart. Dye is injected through the catheter into the coronary arteries and X-rays are taken. The X-rays give detailed information about the condition of these arteries.
Chest X-ray

For more information, call our Health Information Service on 1300 36 27 87 or email us.

There are many different types of medicines used to treat heart failure or chronic heart failure. It is important that you take all the medicines prescribed by your doctor.

If you think your medicine is not working, is causing you problems or you have any questions, talk to your doctor. Do not stop taking your medicines without talking to your doctor first.

Your doctor might also recommend that you have a device, such as a pacemaker or implantable cardiac defibrillator implanted in your chest to help your heart work better.

In severe cases of heart failure, a heart transplant or other procedures may be needed.

Resources
Artificial heart pacemakers - information sheet

Implantable cardiac defibrillators - information sheet

Heart transplants and organ donation - information sheet

Artificial hearts - information sheet

Along with seeing your doctor regularly and taking your medicines as prescribed, lifestyle choices are very important in helping you manage heart failure.

Monitor and control your fluid balance
Establish a daily routine of weighing yourself so you know if fluid is building up in your body.

There are three ways that you can help to control your fluid balance:

control your fluid intake
restrict your salt intake
take diuretic medicines as prescribed by your doctor.

Restrict your salt intake
Salt causes your body to retain fluid. Make sure you eat low salt foods and don't add salt to your food at the table or during cooking.

Be smoke-free
Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood and damages the walls of your arteries. Stopping smoking is one of the most important things that you can do to reduce your risk of further heart disease.

For more information about quitting smoking, talk to your doctor or call the Quitline on 13 QUIT

Limit your alcohol intake
Alcohol can damage your heart. Talk to your doctor about whether or not you should drink alcohol. Your doctor may ask you to stop or limit your drinking.

Don't drink more than one to two standard drinks of alcohol a day. If your heart failure has been caused by alcohol, stop drinking altogether.

Chronic heart failure programs
You may be able to attend a special program to help you manage heart failure. These programs usually involve a number of health professionals, such as nurses, dietitians and exercise specialists.