Treatment outcomes for heart failure

The outcome depends much on the underlying cause and its severity. If reversible causes, e.g. a faulty heart valve, are corrected in time, the process may be halted, with an excellent outcome.

For most patients, though, established heart failure is a lifelong condition, requiring lifelong treatment. With appropriate management, heart failure can be kept under control for a long time, and deterioration in function stopped.

Long-term complications of heart failure are generally due to:

-    Chronic fluid build-up, which may involve:
-    Lung congestion, ranging from mild to severe, with associated shortness of breath
-    Fluid build-up in the abdomen and liver, which can lead to liver problems or failure
-    Breakdown of skin (ulcers), especially in the legs, due to ongoing fluid build-up (oedema)
-    Cardiac arrhythmia (an abnormal heart rhythm) due to a disturbance in the electrical conducting system of the heart
-    Stroke, when the increased stasis of blood in the failing heart causes a blood clot in the heart, and this travels to the brain
-    Organ failure, such as kidney failure, due to decreased blood and oxygen supply to the body
-    Death related to the inability of the failing heart to provide the vital (life sustaining) organs with oxygenated blood

Reviewed by Dr AG Hall, July 2007.