CHF

[tenaya13]

My brother has 15% heart functioning....does that mean the rest of the heart is dead?  He is 62, Diabetic, and overweight, and had a stint put in 5 years ago.  Could the 15% be to a clogged stint?  Could he need bypass surgery?   Or does CHF mean go home with medication to bring down water retention and wait until the enevitable?

[gmachris518]

There is a power cord????  I have a ICD, and it's totally wireless.  It communicates with a Merlin device on my nightstand, and sends all information about my heart to my cardiologist.  The ICD needs new batteries about every 7 years, but other than that, I almost forget that it's there.

Since I had the ICD installed, I have gotten my life back, all except I have to stay away from high powered magnets, such as is found inside hydro-electric Dams, and my device doesn't like cell phones to be within 1 ft. of it.  It's very little to ask for the quality of life it affords.

I, too, have dialysis on a daily basis, as the CHF pushed me to Stage 5 kidney failure, but I think most CHF patients would benefit from dialysis, as it removes fluid from the system.  My husband trained and became a dialysis technician, so now we do home hemo dialysis, 6 days a week....then we go fishing.

Now,  tenaya13, 15 % EF is not good, but there are lots of things that can be done to help.  First on the list is proper medication, then diet, excercise.  A ICD can be put into place, and life will go on.

Don't give up hope, just help your brother to do what he needs to do, to live.

I hope the best for both of you.....

[TheButchersWife]

It really depends on what kind of CHF he has. My husband is 26 years with progressive CHF, which in simple terms, means that his is highly progressive. When he was first diagnosed, his EF was only 5-15%..An average healthy persons EF is around 65%.  Which means his heart is only working at about a quarter of it's ability. Usually, when people have heart failure, it is the left side of the heart that is failing. That is the part of the heart that pumps the oxygenated blood to the rest of the body. So, in turn, when your body isn't getting enough blood, your other organs start to take a hit in a major way..  My husband right now is going through dialysis for his kidneys, because the two are closely related. A lot of people have a good chance of making it about 5 years without intensive therapies. There are medications they can be put on the increase the cardiac output, drugs that will boost the hearts ability to pump, anti-arrythmia drugs, heart pumps (L-Vad is the technical term) and of course there is always the chance of heart transplant if the other systems in the body are working at an even okay level.  And to make you feel a little better, there is still a possiblity for 70 year olds to have heart transplants. The average span is 12 years after a transplant, but could be upwards of 20 years. The heart pump last for 5 years and can be switched out every 5 years. I have heard from the doctors that my  husband will need one to live past a few months from now. They told us that it would be like a whole new life for him. That he would have energy, he would be able to get up and play with our kids, etc...  but unfortunately, it also means no driving and no submerging in water, and there is a power cord that has to be plugged in every night. I have personally spoken with people that have them, and they said they just become part of your body.. like a kid..  you take it everywhere...
Your brother for sure will be on a strict medicine treatment, with medications varying from ACE inhibitors, Beta Blockers, pills for blood pressure, potassium sparers (to help keep the potassium in his system), diuretics etc.... He will also be put on a sodium and fluid restriction, that he must adhere to VERY strictly. Of course no smoking or alcohol of any kind. He will need to weigh himself every day and take his blood pressure on a daily basis.. There will be things that the doctors tell him to do that will seem impossible..  We personally do not even have salt in our house, and haven't for over a year. I jumped into it with a proactive approach and joined in the diet with him..  and it's nice.. I no longer retain as much fluid, because of the decrease in sodium..  It's not as hard as it sounds really..  It's do-able, and if he can keep up with all of the doctors orders and take his medicines, he should be okay, but just remember, that there are other options after the initial diagnosis of CHF.
Best of luck to you and your family. I hope things start looking up more for you!

[Dr_Veena]

Hi,
     Low EF(less than 35%) is considered critical as this can lead to arrhythmias and heart failure eventually. But improvement of EF, depends upon treating the underlying cause for it. If he is over weight and hypertensive, then getting a angiogram to rule out any blocks in the coronaries and if any blocks present stenting or by pass surgery can be considered along with certain life style changes like diet, exercise, quitting smoking, alcohol, practicing stress relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation, having adequate exercise etc can help the heart function better. Also, he should be in regular follow up’s with his cardiologist and follow his advice regarding exercise and drugs. Hope this helps. Best.

[Rich38]

jrbon covers it pretty well. I would add that your brother should be sure to have a cardioligst that he can feel comfortable with and that is responsive to his specific needs. Your brother needs to be proactive in his treatment, ask questions, don't accept that he has  little or no hope. I had a "silent heart attack" sometime before it was diagnosed at age 62. At that time my EF was 18% and prognisis was not good. I put myself on a diet and lost 30 lbs, followed Dr's directions on meds, (meds will require lots of tweaking, so don't be afraid to tell your dr. if you have adverse reactions ) and get lots of exercise. 2 years later my EF was up to 45% I'm now 73 and feel good, do pretty much anything I want. Be positive, half the battle is up to your brother.
Good luck
Rich38

[jrbon]

Normally the figure that is reported is what it is called Ejection Fraction. 15% means that only 15% of the total blood in the left ventricle is ejected on every pulse. The normal figure is 55-75%.

It does not means that there is 85% of the muscle death.

If this is produced by a clogged stent or not, cannot be said without an angiography. Also if thee is a clogged stent, chances are that he has angina symptoms.

Depending of the situation, he might need another stent, or a bypass and/or a defibrillator and of course medication and yes he, like everybody else, will be sent home for the inevitable... the point is How far away the inevitable will be....hopefully years in the future.

I am also 62, I got a large hearth attack in 2007, many stents, 23% of EF, and now, I feel great and thinking on how I will celebrate 70 in 8 years time.


Jesus