Heart failure does not necessarily mean pump failure! Pay attention to low cholesterol, high fiber diet

If the heart has a weak pump, it is often considered a symptom of heart failure. In fact, not all heart failures are caused by weak heart. Some patients have strong heart contractions but still have heart failure. This is diastolic heart failure, which can still cause quite serious symptoms and mortality clinically.

Diastolic heart failure may cause death

Many doctors often like to compare heart failure to a weak pump, so people often think that as long as the pump is strong enough, heart failure will naturally improve. Liao Jiade, attending physician of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Chi Mei Medical Center, said that this concept should be corrected.

Simply put, the contraction of the heart pushes blood out, while the diastole of the heart draws blood back in. However, when the heart (pump) contracts strongly but the relaxation is seriously abnormal, the patient will still experience symptoms of heart failure. This is diastolic heart failure, which can still cause quite serious symptoms and mortality clinically.

[7 common symptoms of heart failure]:

1. Breathing is easy and breathless: The slightest movement will cause breathlessness. In severe cases, breathing may be difficult even when resting or lying in bed.

2. Sit upright and breathe: It is often easier to breathe heavily when lying down. It will be more relieved if you sit up or raise your upper body.

3. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea: When sleeping at night, you are easily awakened from your sleep and need to sit up or open the window to breathe fresh air to make breathing smooth.

4. Lower limb edema: decreased urine volume or frequency of urination, edema of the leg skin, especially on both ankles.

5. Weight gain: Gain several kilograms in a few days.

6. Cough: It may be a dry cough or accompanied by pink sputum.

7. Others: anxiety, uneasiness, weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, etc.

According to statistics from the National Health Insurance Administration, approximately 20,000 people are hospitalized due to heart failure each year. Without proper treatment and lifestyle adjustments, the readmission rate within three months is approximately 30% to 40%, and the five-year mortality rate is even close to 50%.

Heart function intensive treatment team initiates holistic care

In view of the urgency of preventing and treating heart failure, Tainan Chi Mei Hospital established a "Heart Function Enhancement Treatment Team" that emphasizes holistic care from a cross-disciplinary team. Team members include: physicians, case managers, specialist nurses, pharmacists, rehabilitation therapists, nutritionists and social workers, etc., to provide comprehensive cross-disciplinary care and case tracking for patients with heart failure.

Especially for patients with heart failure, it is necessary to control their diet and pay attention to weight management. The following are the key points of diet and weight control that the "Heart Function Intensive Treatment Team" assists patients in home care and health education:

【Dietary care for patients with heart failure】:

1. Limit salt (sodium) intake to no more than 3-5 grams a day, and avoid canned foods, pickled foods, soy sauce products (including braised foods), etc.

2. Limit water intake to 1000-1500 ml a day (including general water and water from the diet) to avoid increasing the burden on the heart.

3. Eat small meals frequently, low in cholesterol and high in fiber.

4. Set an ideal weight and its upper and lower limits, and monitor your weight daily. If it increases by more than 2 kg in two days, you need to increase the dose of diuretics, or contact your personal trainer, or go back to the outpatient clinic to ask the doctor to adjust the medication.

Holistic care pays off: Heart failure readmission rates drop

Dr. Liao Jiade said that since the establishment of the "Heart Function Enhancement Treatment Team" at the Chi Mei Medical Center in late 2017, it has received a total of 12 cases. The team members are committed to providing complete discharge preparation for heart failure patients. Through the contact service of the case manager, they begin to intervene when the patient is admitted to the hospital, interact and care with the patient and family members in a timely manner, and provide relevant information and notify relevant departments, so that patients and their families are no longer confused and helpless when facing heart failure. Currently, the three-month readmission rate has dropped from approximately 30%~40% to 17%, achieving initial results.