Heart Failure

About Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition in which weakened or stiff heart muscles reduce the heart’s ability to effectively pump blood—and the oxygen and nutrients in that blood—to the rest of the body. CHF can be caused by a number of things including coronary artery disease, a heart attack, high blood pressure and cardiomyopathy. CHF symptoms vary widely and include shortness of breath, fluid buildup and weight gain, irregular heartbeat, dizziness and fatigue. Treatment can range from lifestyle adjustments, diet changes and medications to transplant and other surgical procedures.

If you’re referred to the Heart Failure Clinic, you’ll have an initial consultation with a trained heart failure provider. Nurses are an important part of this expert team who will help monitor your symptoms, adjust your medications, and educate you about disease management.

Heart Failure Clinic at CMC

The Heart Failure Clinic at CMC’s New England Heart & Vascular Institute (NEHVI) takes a coordinated approach to caring for you and your congestive heart failure (CHF). Whether you’re newly diagnosed or are suffering from advanced symptoms, caregivers from NEHVI, along with other CMC departments and partners, work together to provide you the services and resources you need all in one place. Here, you are a part of a team dedicated to educating and empowering you to effectively manage your condition, stay out of the hospital, and increase your awareness about your overall health.

At the Heart Failure Clinic you’ll find a full range of coordinated services to address your needs. Our team includes experts in the areas of:

Cardiology
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Nutrition
Transitional/Home Care

For more information or referral to the Heart Failure Clinic, ask your cardiologist or primary care physician, or call the New England Heart & Vascular Institute at:

603.669.0413

Breakthrough Treatments

For Heart Failure offer hope

“We offer hope to patients who previously may have had none.” These words are at the essence of our mission at CMC and drives the team at the New England Heart & Vascular Institute toward compassionate excellence, every day. Learn about the options Gary found by working with his team at NEHVI.

Diagnosis, Treatment and Technologies

Advanced Heart Failure Care

Patients with advanced CHF are less likely to live symptom free and need additional services and treatments than those who’ve been recently diagnosed or are having success in managing their condition.

For advanced CHF patients, the Heart Failure Clinic offers:

Advanced CHF Cardiology Care

Depending on the severity of their symptoms, advanced CHF patients are usually scheduled for more frequent in-office visits or telephone triage with one of our experienced heart failure nurses. We also evaluate the need for ongoing symptom management and referral for advanced therapies (like an implanted device or transplant procedure), provide local follow up care, and care coordination for patients who have procedures at Boston hospitals.

Infusion Therapy

Infusion therapy provides continuous medication support to patients with certain hard-to-manage CHF symptoms. The Heart Failure Clinic coordinates IV Lasix therapies for patients who have not had success with oral diuretics, as well as inotropes to increase exercise tolerance. Therapies typically begin in the hospital and are continued at home. Infusion therapy may also be offered in a clinical outpatient setting.

CardioMEMS^TM

Advanced CHF patients who’ve had at least one hospital admission within the last year and have ongoing symptoms are evaluated for the CardioMEMS^TMHeart Failure System. This device helps patients manage their CHF from home, reducing the likelihood of a hospital stay, by continuously and remotely monitoring the pressure inside a patient’s lung (which is an indication of fluid buildup around the heart). The care team can then adjust medications as necessary without an office visit. NEHVI has the most advanced CardioMEMS^TM program in New England and one of the most experienced in the country.

Learn more

IMPELLA 5.5^TM

This new technology enables heart recovery in patients whose hearts are too weak to effectively pump blood on their own after a heart attack. The Impella 5.5 is a heart pump that is temporarily implanted minimally invasively in a patient’s heart. It reduces the heart’s workload and oxygen demand, which enables the heart to rest and recover, and it supplies much needed blood and oxygen to the patient’s other vital organs.

Learn more

Heart Failure Support Group

Organized by the advanced heart failure team at NEHVI, this group offers a forum to connect you with other patients and families who can offer first-person guidance, advice, and tips for managing your condition. This is ideal for patients who have been hospitalized with CHF, are struggling with recommended lifestyle changes, or have undergone an LVAD or heart transplant. In addition to networking, Support Group meetings cover medications and technologies targeted for heart failure, diet tips, exercise, and a question and answer session.

Meet our

heart failure management team

CMC has a team of experts to care for patients with serious heart problems. Our board certified heart failure and transplant cardiologists, along with certified heart failure nurse practitioners, physician assistants and dedicated team of nurses collaborate to provide the most advanced and effective treatments for your individual health needs.

Meet our team