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Heart Failure Care
What’s Heart Failure?
Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs for blood and oxygen. Treatment can improve your symptoms and help you live longer.
LVAD to Treat Heart Failure
If your heart needs help to pump blood, you may receive a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD. This is a mechanical, battery-operated pumping device that’s placed during surgery. It can help prevent the need for a heart transplant.
Heart Failure Symptoms
Talk to your primary care doctor if you experience the following symptoms:
- Chest pain or heartbeat changes
- Chronic cough
- Dizziness
- Gaining three pounds in one day
- Loss of appetite
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling of the ankles, feet, or lower legs
- Tiredness or weakness
- Thinking problems
You may be referred to a heart specialist if your primary care doctor believes you are experiencing heart failure.
Heart Failure Program in Duluth, MN and Brainerd, MN
Rely on Essentia’s heart failure specialists to help you live well with heart failure. We’ll closely track your symptoms and adjust your treatment as needed so you can stay as healthy, independent, and comfortable as possible.
Comprehensive Care
When you enroll in Essentia’s Heart Failure program, your health care team can help you:
- Manage medications
- Make appointments with members of your health care team
- Receive outpatient diuretic infusion therapy
- Live a heart-healthy lifestyle with diet and activity recommendations
- Find community resources and support groups
- Strengthen your heart through cardiac rehabilitation
Heart Monitoring at Home
Feel confident that any changes in your condition will be detected quickly when you participate in telemonitoring. This technology allows your care team to keep an eye on your health even when you are at home. You may use:
- A telemonitoring system that monitors your weight
- Cardiomems – An implantable sensory device
Prevent Hospital Admissions
Work with your care team to manage your heart failure and stay out of the hospital. Our patients have an 80 percent decrease in hospital admissions and visits to the emergency room during their first year in the Heart Failure Program compared to the national average.
Current Clinical Research Studies
Talk to your doctor to see if you may be eligible to participate in a research study through the Essentia Institute of Rural Health. By participating in a clinical study, you may have access to treatments, medications and medical devices that are not widely available.
Service Offered
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Heart & Vascular Services
When it comes to your heart health, count on the experts at Essentia Health. Explore the wide range of heart and vascular services we offer to help you live the life you love.