Читать книгу Predicting Heart Failure - Группа авторов - Страница 18

Treatment in HF generally gives effective results, the purpose being a decrease in sudden death and an increase in survival time. Within the scope of treatment are acting to support a healthy life, medication use, medical support, and surgical interventions.

In drug treatment, the patient is generally supported with more than one drug supplement. Medicines are used to strengthen the heart muscle, lower blood pressure, and remove the edema accumulated in the body. Some medicines used in the treatment of HF show blood thinning and cholesterol lowering effects. Many drugs are difficult for the patient, but their use can produce the desired effect.

Surgical methods and medical support devices are other method used in treatment. Surgical methods and medical support aim to eliminate the irregularities that occur in the heart. One of the surgical methods is coronary bypass and another is heart valve replacement surgery. The most known and preferred method in the treatment of HF is undoubtedly heart surgery. Deciding this is itself an important issue. If the heart has become unable to perform its duties, and if medication or a stent are far from being a solution, a heart surgery decision should be made with a physician's recommendation.

The use of pacemakers can also be considered within the scope of surgical methods. The function of pacemakers is to support the heart and, with a solution similar to a pacemaker, the disturbed rhythm of the heart is understood and shock is applied to the heart to eliminate the rhythm disturbance. In addition, placing a heart pump in the chest cavity to support the weakened heart is a method of treatment. One of the most effective and definitive solutions within surgical methods is heart transplantation. The broken heart is removed and a healthy heart is transplanted.

One of the techniques that reduce the risk of heart attack and thus helps treatment is blood thinning. Thinning the blood is a known technique for preventing blood clotting, a significant problem that causes major diseases such as stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure. Pills, subcutaneous injections, or tubes placed in a vein are used to thin the blood. The pill is warfarin; the other methods use heparin.