By: David Shavelle, M.D., medical director, adult cardiology & interventional lab, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach Medical Center
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about 6.2 million adults in the United Sates have heart failure. Heart failure is more common in people who are 65 years old or older, African Americans, people who are overweight, and people who have had a heart attack. Men also have a higher rate of heart failure than women.
Heart failure happens when the heart can’t pump enough blood and oxygen to support other organs in the body. Heart failure doesn’t mean that the heart has stopped or will soon stop working. It means that the heart is unable to pump blood the way it should. As heart failure progresses, the following symptoms may occur:
- Blood and fluid to back up into the lungs
- Buildup of fluid in the feet, ankles and legs – called edema
- Tiredness and shortness of breath
While there are some standard surgical treatments for heart failure, the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center offers numerous non-surgical minimally invasive clinical trials that are open for enrollment to participants who qualify.
An available clinical study being offered called RELIEVE-HF (REducing Lung CongestIon Symptoms Using the V-WavE Shunt in AdVancEd Heart Failure) is helping patients with advanced heart failure. The RELIEVE-HF study is assessing whether a small device or shunt that is placed within the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) can improve heart failure symptoms and clinical outcome. With heart failure, the pressure on the left side of the heart increases, causing patients to experience shortness of breath and fatigue and to retain fluid. This new treatment strategy involves placing a shunt inside the heart to reduce the pressure on the left side of the heart and help blood travel from the left side of the heart to the right side. Reducing the pressure on the left side of the heart has been shown to improve symptoms and clinical outcome in patients with heart failure. RELIEVE-HF is evaluating if use of this device can reduce future hospitalization for heart failure and improve heart failure symptoms, exercise capacity and quality of life.
Long Beach Medical Center is committed to providing the most comprehensive cardiovascular care around. The South Bay is privileged to have multiple healthcare options to choose from, but when you’re faced with so many options for heart care, the best stands out and that’s Long Beach Medical Center. To learn more about the advanced cardiovascular care and cutting-edge clinical trials at Long Beach Medical Center, visit memorialcare.org/ComplexHeart or call 800-MEMORIAL (636-6742).