Congestive Heart Failure

Prevention of exacerbation in known congestive heart failure (CHF):

• Compliance: Maintain strict compliance to prescribed medications as well as compliance to sodium intake, fluid intake, and weight monitoring as described below.
• Limit sodium intake: Sodium intake is to be limited to 2 grams per day. Avoid any added salt to home prepared foods. Limit canned foods, canned soups, catsup, soy sauce, lunch meats, restaurant foods, sodas, prepackaged snacks, and others by following food labels closely. Try spices instead of salt and be aware that salt substitutes may contain excess potassium which can accumulate in renal insufficiency.
• Limit fluid intake: Limit fluid intake to about 1-2 liters per day, based on physician advice.
• Daily weight: Follow daily weight using the same scale without clothing to reduce variation of weight measurement. Contact physician for weight gain of 2 pounds in a day or 5 pounds in a week.
• Symptoms triggering physician contact: Contact physician for the following: Increasing shortness of breath, requirement for head to be up or needing more pillows to breathe, swelling of the legs feet or ankles, cough, wheezing, high heart rate over 120 sustained or under 50 sustained, and palpitations. For new onset fast heart rate, chest pain, lightheadedness, or passing out (syncope), call emergency medical services.

Heart Health Risk Assessment Tool:

Heart Health Risk Assessment, “My Life Check,” is a free screening tool designed to determine risk of heart disease. This simple tool evaluates 7 simple achievements used to improve heart health. The tool will be a quick assessment of heart health by entering blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, activity level, fruit/vegetable intake, body weight, and smoking. This takes about 2 minutes to complete. It has been determined that a greater achievement in heart health in these 7 simple guidelines results in a lower lifetime occurrence of heart disease including heart failure (114).