Clinical Guidelines for Heart Failure
To get the best care for heart failure (HF), talking frankly with your healthcare team is a good place to start.
Overview
Expert Teams Treat Heart Failure
Our team helps patients improve their quality of life through early detection, advanced treatment options, lifestyle changes, medication management and much more.
Patients receive high-quality care from nurse practitioners, dietitians, pharmacists, case managers, patient educators and other caregivers, all under the direction of a heart failure cardiologist. Working together, we offer patients personalized, comprehensive care to help them achieve positive, long-term outcomes.
Learn About Our Advanced Heart Expertise
Types of Heart Failure We Treat
- Left-sided heart failure – there are two types:
- Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), also called systolic failure
- Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), also called diastolic failure
- Right-sided heart failure
- Right-sided, or right ventricular (RV), failure
Understanding Heart Failure
Heart failure means your heart cannot pump blood efficiently. As a result, your body may not get all the blood and oxygen it needs to function normally, and blood and fluid may back up in your lungs, feet and other parts of your body. While there’s no cure for heart failure, the condition is treatable through proper medications, lifestyle changes and support.
Conditions & Treatments
Cardiovascular Services Conditions & Treatments
Heart Failure Causes
Abnormal genes that get passed down in a family (familial cardiomyopathy)
Abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia)
Alcohol or drug use
Plaque buildup in the arteries of your heart (or coronary artery disease)
Pregnancy
Faulty heart valves
Heart attack (or myocardial infarction)
Heart defects present at birth (congenital heart disease)
High blood pressure
Some cancer drugs
Viruses infecting the heart
Heart Failure Symptoms
Discomfort or swelling in the abdomen
Impaired thinking
Increased trouble sleeping
Increased heart rate
Increased swelling of legs, feet, and ankles
Loss of appetite or nausea
Loss of muscle
Persistent dry hacking cough or wheezing
Overall feeling of being tired or run-down
Shortness of breath when lying down, at rest or with exertion
Sudden weight gain (fluid buildup)
Common Tests for Heart Failure
Blood tests
Cardiac catheterization
Chest x-ray
Echocardiogram
Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)
Exercise stress test
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Physical examination
Heart Failure Treatment
Medications
Aldosterone antagonists
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)
Angiotensin-receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs)
Anticoagulants (blood thinners)
Antiarrhythmics
Beta-blockers
Cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins)
Diuretics
Hydralazine and isosorbide dinitrate
Lifestyle Changes
A heart-healthy diet
Avoiding or limiting excessive amounts of alcohol
Avoiding tobacco or drug use
Keeping track of any symptoms
Monitoring blood pressure
Practicing healthy sleep habits
Regular exercise
Tracking daily fluid intake
Vaccinations to prevent illnesses, such as pneumonia or the flu
Devices and Surgical Procedures
Cardiac Bypass Surgery
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT)
Heart Transplantation
Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD)
Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
Valve surgery
Why Choose Broward
Why Choose Broward Health?
Our board-certified team is experienced in all aspects of cardiac health and heart failure. Broward Health has wide-ranging resources and support for patients and their families to help navigate life with heart failure.
Support Groups
Broward Health offers a free, monthly support group for patients living with or at risk for heart failure and their loved ones. Patients may register at BrowardHealth.org/Events or call 954.759.7400.
Rehabilitation Program
Patients also have access to our Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, accredited by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). Using state-of-the-art equipment, patients participate in a medically supervised program consisting of exercise, education, counseling and training that helps patients with heart disease achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. To utilize our Cardiac Rehab, please contact us at 954.712.4275.
Meet Our Team
Meet Our Team
Yordanka I. Reyna, MD, FACC
Director of Broward Health's Heart Failure Services
Dr. Reyna is a cardiologist specializing in advanced heart failure and cardiac transplantation. She currently serves as an Internal Medicine and Cardiology faculty member at Broward Health. As an investigator, she has participated in numerous clinical studies on medications and therapies for heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. Dr. Reyna is board certified by the ABIM in Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Advanced Heart Failure Transplant Cardiology and Echocardiography.
Dr. Reyna completed her Internal Medicine residency and fellowship training at Cleveland Clinic Florida, where she was awarded the Outstanding Resident Award and served as Chief Cardiology Fellow. She finalized her training with an Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
Articles
Heart Failure Articles
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