Download Heart Failure Transcript ()

Event ID: 3180834
Event Started: 2/15/2017 8:51:35 AM ET
Hello and thank you for joining this learning and action network and taking the time
to watch a short overview of heart failure. My name is Tammy Geltmaker, and I'm
with atom Alliance, a quality innovation network that is a five year-five state initiative
to ignite powerful and sustainable change in healthcare quality. We welcome
participants from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee, as well as
other states that may be participating.
We are honored to have Preeti Kolankari as our guest today. She has been with the
American Heart Association for five years and currently serves as the Senior Manager
of Patient Engagement at the American Heart Association’s National Center. In this
role, she is responsible for leading the planning and execution of the Association-wide
business plan and strategy for secondary prevention targeting priority patient
populations like heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and acute coronary syndrome. Prior to
joining the American Heart Association, she worked as a consultant in the energy
industry and has been a volunteer in various community-based initiatives in the health
and childhood education field. She holds a graduate from the New Jersey Institute of
Technology, where she received an MS in management information systems. At this
time, I would like to turn it over to speaker, Ms. Kolankari.
Good morning and thank you for having me here today. I am thrilled to be here as part
of this webinar to give a short review and inform people about heart failure. Heart
failure is a devastating disease that impacts a lot of people in the country. Today, what
I really hope to do is speak to you about the growing heart failure epidemic, help the
audience understand heart failure along with signs and symptoms of the condition, the
risk factors and how best to partner with your healthcare team to manage the
condition. Also, by the end of the presentation, provide you with some great resources
that we have at the American Heart Association that will help you manage the
condition.
We know that heart failure is a growing epidemic, today amongst all adults ages 40
and above. One in five people, or 20%, will develop heart failure in their lifetime.
This is a staggering number. What we know is that there are 960,000 new cases each
year and today more than 6 million people live with heart failure, with an estimate to
grow to approximately 8 million people by 2030.
The impact on healthcare is huge. Additionally, what we also know is that while the
direct cost attributed to heart failure is around 30.7 billion in 2012, of that, 68% was
attributable to direct medical cost. Additionally, through the burden on patients and
loved ones, indirect costs which directly affect patients included, work loss, household
productivity loss, and premature mortality loss. This has an estimate that reached 8.2
billion in 2015 and increasing to 12.3 additional billion dollars in 2030.
What is heart failure? Your body depends on the heart pumping action to deliver
oxygen and nutrition rich blood to the body cells. When they are nourished properly
the body can function normally. However, with heart failure, the weakened heart
cannot supply the cells with enough blood and this results in fatigue and shortness of
breath. Some people have coughing. Everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs,
or carrying groceries, etc., can become very difficult. It is always important to have
regular checkups, even if you do not notice any of the symptom of heart failure.
Some common symptoms we have included here is shortness of breath, swelling of
legs and ankles, a dry hacking cough, feeling dizzy or light-headed, and trouble
sleeping. Please take action immediately and talk to a health care professional.
Recognizing the signs and symptoms of HF is the first step to diagnosis and treatment
of the condition. Please do not ignore the signs and symptoms.
Here is a nice shot animation to help your understand heart failure and the condition.
Do you know the symptoms of heart failure? The heart can't pump blood efficiently
enough to meet the needs of the body because either the pumping ability has grown
weaker or the lower left chamber has become sick and no longer holds enough blood.
Without proper pumping, fluid can build up and cause symptoms that everyone should
learn to recognize. Swelling, also known as edema, is most often noticed in the feet,
ankles, legs or abdomen. Sudden weight gain, people with heart failure can track their
weight to help manage any swelling. Shortness of breath is another important
symptom to discuss with your doctor, especially if you notice that normal activities
are getting harder to do or that your breathing is often interrupted by persistent
coughing or wheezing. You should also speak with a healthcare provider if you lose
the ability to sleep or read well while lying down. It can also cause fatigue, confusion,
depression, or even fainting. Additional symptoms can sometimes include a rapid
heart rate, nausea or lack of appetite. If you notice these important symptoms be sure
to seek medical care. People who have heart failure can track symptoms to help
manage it successfully, for a longer healthier life. Know the symptoms so that
together we can rise above heart failure.
Now that we have seen what common signs and symptoms are of the condition, what
we would like to do is really try and understand what some of our common risk
factors are for this condition. Chances are if you have heart failure you had one or
more of the conditions listed on the screen. Some can be present without you knowing
it and typically these conditions cause the wear and tear that leads to heart failure.
Such things like having a heart attack, high blood pressure, heart muscle disease or
congenital heart disease, or conditions that really cause strain on your heart. What is
important to understand is that eating right, stopping smoking, and getting physical
activity, all help reduce the risk factors. Actions that increase your risk, such as
smoking, being overweight, and physical inactivity can also contribute to heart failure.
Having one or more of these conditions dramatically increases your risk for the
condition. In addition, African-Americans and Hispanics are a greater risk for the
condition, as compared to Caucasian and Chinese Americans.
You may wonder how to reduce your risk and if you have heart failure, how you can
improve your quality of life. What is important to know is that even small changes to
your lifestyle reduce both symptoms if you have heart failure, and improve your
quality of life dramatically. Following recommendations about diet, exercise and other
habits also help alleviate symptoms, slow the progression of the disease and improve
your everyday living. In fact, people with mild to moderate heart failure can often lead
a nearly normal life as a result. In a recent study, the lifetime risk of heart failure was
higher in males with hypertension. Healthy lifestyle factors and the consumption of
fruits and vegetables were all related to a lower risk of heart failure. Make sure you
eat a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium. If you have heart
failure this will help you manage your symptoms better, it will improve your quality
of life and if you are at risk this will dramatically reduce it.
If you or someone you love is dealing with heart failure, you know that your primary
care providers, cardiologists, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other caregivers.
Getting the most out of a doctor's office requires very good communication between
you and your healthcare team. Knowing what questions to ask and understanding
what your provider is saying can help you feel comfortable and confident. The best
advice is to be prepared, ask a lot of questions.
There are three steps to remember when you visit your care team. Step1, be prepared.
Make a list of current medications, the symptoms and how you feel, and make a list of
questions you want to ask your care team. Step 2, ask the right and a lot of questions.
For example, ask the provider if they will speak openly and honestly about your
condition. Ask them to know what to expect in terms of symptoms and outlook. Ask
them to weigh out all the benefits and risks before you lay out the treatment options.
Set up an annual talk to review your goals and treatments for present and future care.
Once you have this conversation, clarify what you hear. Be confident and ask, take
notes on record your conversations and share it with other family members. These
conversations are important in order for you to get the full picture about your
condition and how you can live your best life.
Finally, clarify what you hear. If the language being used is not clear to you, request
them in simpler terms that you can understand and make sure you repeat what you
hear.
We at the American Heart Association, through the rise of heart failure initiatives,
have some great resources and tools for patients and their loved ones, as well as the
care team. Visit the website, www.riseabovehf.org , to get access to these wonderful
tools, downloadables, self-check plans and animations, which are similar to the ones
you saw earlier. What is important to remember is to have that peer-to-peer
connection with other that are going through the disease that help you manage and
make a better quality of life. Visit us at www.heart.org/supportnetwork to be a part of
a virtual online community that will help you go through this disease. Remember you
are not alone and have a whole team behind you to help you live your best life.
Finally, I have another screen that I would like to share that I have. It will really help
you remember the three things you must know about the condition. Knowing that one
person is diagnosed with heart failure every minute and knowing and monitoring your
changes and your symptoms makes all the difference in your condition. So, do not
ignore your signs and symptoms, and remember that small changes can make a big
difference in your condition.
Thank you for being with me today and be sure to go to www.americanheart.org for
more resource about your condition. Thank you.
Thank you much Preeti for that very informative presentation and to everyone who
has joined us. Atom Alliance staff is here to help you. Please contact us if you have
any questions about what you have just heard. We will be emailing you an evaluation
of this event and sincerely appreciate any feedback you can provide so we can
continue to offer opportunities that interest you. There are many resources available
on our website, at www.atomalliance.org. Finally, we are out there on social media as
well. There are a few ways to connect with us. Thanks again and have a great day.