Heart failure

Overview

In a healthy heart, the heart pumps blood with oxygen to every part of the body. If you have heart failure, your heart muscle is weakened or your heart cannot fill up with enough blood. This means your heart can't pump the amount of blood your body needs. Heart failure is a serious condition and it can affect your other organs.

Some symptoms of heart failure may include:

Swelling (also called edema) in the feet, ankles, legs, or stomach
Shortness of breath
Tiredness
Irregular heart beats
Rapid weight gain
Chest pain

Some people worry that ‘failure’ means the heart has stopped beating. This is not true. Your heart keeps working, but it can’t pump hard enough to get the blood and oxygen needed to all parts of your body.

Some causes of heart failure are:

High blood pressure
Damage to your heart muscle, such as from a heart attack
Heart valve problems
Disease of the heart
Infection of the heart muscle or heart valves

It is estimated that about 750,000 Canadians are living with heart failure.

Source: Heart & Stroke Foundation

The Providence heart team will work with you to manage your heart failure symptoms. We provide expert and compassionate care, from testing to diagnosis to management. We’ll also help you with the tools you need to make necessary lifestyle changes.

Contact

Email HFC@providencehealth.bc.ca

Diagnosis & testing

Your care team may send you for a series of blood tests to help assess your condition.

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An X-ray is a non-invasive diagnostic procedure that is used to take images of the inside of the body. X-rays are done in the Radiology Clinic.

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An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a test that checks how your heart is functioning by measuring the electrical activity. This test measures and records the electrical activity that passes through the heart to determine if this electrical activity is normal or irregular.

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Cardiac stress tests are used to diagnose and manage heart conditions by evaluating how the heart functions during physical activity. During the test, patients exercise on a treadmill or receive medication to simulate exercise while the heart activity is monitored.

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Cardiac CT, or Cardiac Computed Tomography, is used to provide detailed images of the heart and its blood vessels using X-rays and computer technology. Cardiac MRI, or Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging produces detailed images of the heart using powerful magnets and radio waves.

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Treatment & management

Conditions like heart failure can be managed. We have specialized clinics that will direct your care as well as a number of surgeries and procedures that can be used to help you stay well and be well.

Clinics that manage heart failure

Related surgeries & procedures

The ICD is a small unit with a computer that monitors the heart rhythm and, when necessary, generates an electrical shock to restore a normal heart rate and rhythm. The ICD is implanted with a minimally-invasive procedure.

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Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG or “cabbage”) is a surgical procedure used to re-route blood around blockages in the coronary arteries and restore blood flow to the heart.

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Heart transplant surgery removes the failing heart and pre-existing hardware (such as an implantable cardio defibrillator or pacemaker), and replaces it with a donor heart.

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Heart valve surgery is used to repair or replace diseased heart valves.

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Related conditions

Support services

Providence Health Care offers a variety of services to support those we care for. The following services may be of use or benefit to you and your families.

Our clinical dietitians work with healthcare teams to give practical nutrition advice and education to patients and residents. They focus on your individual needs as well as involving your family in your nutritional health.

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To help with communicating with your health care team, we offer interpretation services 24-hours-a-day. Please ask your care team to place a request if you need an interpreter including a sign language interpreter.

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Occupational therapists (OT’s) collaborate with you to help you regain or discover new ways to engage in activities you enjoy. If an injury, illness, or disability is preventing you from participating in crucial daily tasks, an OT can identify your personal strengths and priorities. They will guide you on how to improve function and actively participate more fully in your everyday activities.

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Pharmacists at Providence assist those staying in our two hospitals (inpatients) and those visiting our many clinics (outpatients). We collaborate with your healthcare team, using our knowledge to recommend the most suitable drug treatment for your condition. We also keep watch for possible negative reactions to medications, aiming to find the right balance between safety and effectiveness.

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Our psychology services can provide emotional support to our patients who may need help coping with their condition and its treatment.

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Our social work team helps patients and their families by providing emotional support and connecting them to helpful resources and services. This team can also assist in planning for the future, advocate for patients' needs, and help with practical concerns like finances and social support.

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We offer pastoral care services to support you and your loved ones. Our professional staff, including chaplains from different faiths, are here to accompany you, provide counseling, and create spaces for reflection, prayer, and meditation.

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We strive to offer you the best and most compassionate care possible. If we succeed, please let us know. If we fall short of our goal “How you want to be treated,” please also let us know.

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Support for Indigenous Peoples

The Indigenous Wellness Liaison Team is here to support your health journey. Team members offer cultural support and healthcare advocacy. Learn more below or call them at 604-682-2344,62937 or email IWL@providencehealth.bc.ca.

Indigenous wellness services

The Indigenous Wellness Team at Providence is available to support Indigenous patients and their families. We are here to coordinate culturally safe wellness supports and services.

Education & resources

This is a national, Canadian foundation. It funds research and advocates for system change. It also offers patient supports and education about heart and stroke diseases.

Heart failure patient information
How to heal a failing heart (podcast)
Cardiac Services BC generates and shares accurate, current and relevant evidence-based information about heart failure for health care professionals and patients in BC.

Heart failure information for patients
The Canadian Heart Failure Society’s mission is to improve the care of patients through research, advocacy, education and development of best practices in the field of heart failure disorders.

Heart failure patient information
Support groups, tools, and resources are available to help people living with heart failure cope with the challenges associated with their condition. Created with patients of the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research and the UHN in Toronto.

Our Heart Hub
The Canadian Cardiology Society is the national voice for cardiovascular clinicians and scientists, representing almost 2,500 cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and other heart health specialists across Canada. They advance heart health for all by setting standards for excellence in heart health and care, building the knowledge and expertise of the heart team, and influencing policy and advocating for the heart health of all Canadians.

Heart failure information
Heart failure quick reference for physicians
Supported by the Province of British Columbia, Self-Management BC provides evidence-based health programs at no cost to participants throughout the province. Their peer-led patient education program is offered in communities throughout BC.

Health Coach program for chronic diseases including heart failure
Chinese, Indigenous and Punjabi Programs
A Canadian learning platform designed for those living with and caring for people with heart disease and heart failure. Delivered in collaboration with researchers and care providers – backed by science.

HeartLife Academy

Patients Like Me (Search for your condition)
Online Facebook community for Canadians living with heart disease:

English
French
Facebook Community for Canadians living with heart and/or stroke related conditions:

Community of Survivors / Communauté de survivants

Clinical trials & research

Advances in heart-related treatments are all thanks to medical research. While participating in research is a decision you should make for yourself in consultation with your care team, there is much activity in this area so please ask us about our research programs if you’re interested.

By taking part in research, you can help us all learn more about heart failure and find better ways to help people like you live and thrive with the condition. While you cannot assume benefit to yourself, your participation can make a difference in improving care for future patients.

The following clinical trials are currently enrolling volunteers. Please ask your care team for more information or contact the research team listed on each study or trial. For other information about research at Providence Health Care, please visit Providence Research.

Donate to support us

St. Paul’s Hospital is the lifeline for British Columbians living with heart disease: we are the provincial referral centre for BC and Yukon’s most complex cardiac cases. We appreciate your support.

St. Paul's Foundation