Morris Hospital cardiologist explains heart failure

MORRIS – The term “heart failure” doesn’t mean the heart has stopped functioning. Heart failure refers to the heart’s inability to work as it should.

According to Dr. G. Steinar Gudmundsson, a cardiologist with Morris Hospital Cardiovascular Specialists, one type of heart failure occurs when the heart muscle is weakened and can’t contract with enough force. The second type occurs when the heart has normal contractions, but the heart becomes stiff, making it unable to handle excess fluid or salt in the body.

Heart failure can be caused by coronary artery disease, or narrowed arteries; a heart attack, when an artery becomes completely blocked; damage to the heart muscle from viral infections or drug or alcohol abuse; or any conditions that cause the heart to work too hard, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and leaky or blocked valves.

Various tests can help a cardiologist diagnose heart failure, along with the severity of it. These tests may include an echocardiogram, a stress test, or an angiogram to see how the heart is beating, how blood is flowing to the heart, or whether the arteries are blocked.

If left untreated, heart failure can be fatal; at the very least, life expectancy will be reduced. Fortunately, there are various effective treatments that can reduce symptoms, help the heart heal, and improve survival rates.

Gudmundsson sees patients at the Morris Hospital Cardiovascular Specialists offices in Channahon, Morris and Ottawa. For more information, call 815-705-1000.