Houston Cardiac Association


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Welcome to the Heart Failure Clinic

Heart failure occurs when your heart muscle fails to pump blood properly. This results in a multitude of symptoms including shortness of breath, swelling in your legs and/or abdomen, congestion of the lungs, and increased fatigue.

At the HCA Heart Failure Clinic we work to your improve your quality of life by helping you manage your symptoms of heart failure. We educate you about the condition and the ways it can be controlled. Our primary objective is to reduce the number of unnecessary visits to the emergency room, prevent hospitalizations, and help you to live a full and productive life.

The Heart Failure Clinic helps with:

Education and support
Managing symptoms of heart failure
Assistance with risk factor modification, such as decreasing cholesterol, decreasing blood pressure, and improving diet
Managing medications
Financial constraints that affect filling your prescriptions

How the clinic works

During your time at the clinic you will learn the signs and symptoms of heart failure and how to deal with them. The staff will help you understand the role diet and exercise can play in improving your health. You will also receive a personal notebook that reflects the education discussed at the clinic.

At your initial visit you will be assigned a level of care. This level determines how many visits you are eligible for. These visits may vary based on your individual needs, and are not driven by insurance companies.

The clinic is covered by most insurance. If you're in doubt, you may inquire with us or call your insurance company. If you are uninsured, there may be services to assist you.

Your initial visit will last for approximately 90 minutes and includes:

Baseline data collection (History and Physical)
Weight recording
Diagnostic testing (These tests are noninvasive and determines how your heart is functioning)
A 6-minute walk test to check for endurance and activity tolerance.
Education

We encourage patients to have a loved one accompany him/her to this lengthy visit for support and to help in the education process. Loved ones are more than welcome to attend each visit if necessary.

After your initial visit, typical visits will last about 30 to 60 minutes and include:

Weight recording
Medication adjustments
Functional Tests
Pacemaker or Defibrillator Reprogramming if necessary
Basic assessments
Education

Heart Failure Support Group (Coming in the Spring of 2009)

In addition to your normal clinic visits, we plan to start a monthly heart failure support group in the near future. Each session covers an educational topic and allows patients to address any problems, concerns, or issues they are facing. It is a great time to meet others, who like yourself are learning to manage heart failure and enhance their lives.

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