What You Need to Know About Heart Failure

Heart failure can have some easy-to-miss symptoms, so when should you take note and see a doctor? Tolulope Agunbiade, MD, FACC, explores some common questions and answers.

Updated November 18, 2024

By Tolulope Agunbiade, MD, FACC, Medical Director, Virtua Advanced Heart Failure Program

Feeling tired, out of breath, or having swollen ankles can easily be brushed off. Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep last night, haven’t exercised in a while, or ate a really salty meal.

Taken together, though, these may be signs of heart failure.

When your heart is not pumping as well as it should, fluid can back up in the lungs—leading to shortness of breath—or in the abdomen, legs, and feet, causing swelling. While these symptoms can have other causes, it’s a good idea to have yourself checked out by a health care provider.

What is heart failure?

The heart is a muscle that pumps oxygen-rich blood to all parts of the body. Some conditions can affect the heart with time, causing it to weaken or stiffen.

Heart failure also can be caused by a heart attack, coronary artery disease, poorly controlled high blood pressure, rhythm problems in the heart, valve disease, and conditions where the body makes abnormal proteins that are deposited in the heart.

These scenarios cause the heart to work less efficiently, and it is no longer as easy for the heart to supply the body with the nutrient-rich blood that it needs.

Heart failure can occur on the left, right, or both sides of your heart.

What are the most common signs of heart failure?

Common symptoms of heart failure include:

Shortness of breath while resting, exercising, or lying flat
Swelling in the legs and feet
Abdominal pain, bloating, or decreased appetite
Severe fatigue
Decreased ability to exercise
Persistent cough with white- or pink-tinged mucus
Rapid weight change

New or worsening shortness of breath and swelling in the legs are common symptoms of heart failure because they show you are holding onto fluid. If you notice your socks are tighter and your shoes don’t fit as well, or that you are having to prop yourself up at night with more pillows to sleep due to feeling short of breath, you should be evaluated by your primary care physician.

What are the most promising treatments for heart failure?

The good news is that treatments are available to manage your heart failure. Eating a heart-healthy, low-sodium diet—no more than 1 ½ to 2 grams of salt per day—exercising, not smoking, and avoiding alcohol are first steps.

Medications also are available to relieve your symptoms. For those with the type of heart failure where the heart muscle is weak, four classes of medications have been approved for treatment:

Angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs) like Entresto
Aldosterone antagonists
Beta-blockers
Sodium-glucose transport protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors like Farxiga or Jardiance

Your health care provider also may recommend medical devices to help your heart, such as a pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator or left ventricular assist device. You also may need to be considered for a heart transplant, depending on your situation.

If you have heart failure, be sure to see your cardiologist regularly. Outpatient heart failure clinics also are a great resource. If your symptoms are more advanced, we have options to improve your quality of life.

Request an appointment with our heart failure team

Whether you’ve just been diagnosed or have been living with heart failure or some time, Virtua can help manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life. Call 856-325-4261 to request an appointment with one of our Advanced Heart Failure specialists.