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| Jaclyn Murray |
Guest Blog: Heart Disease in America
by Jaclyn Murray
In today’s society, heart disease is one of the major chronic diseases in the older adult. More specifically, congestive heart failure is a prominent form of death for the elderly. The Mayo Clinic defines congestive heart failure (CHF) as the heart being unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011). This topic is of special interest to me because my grandfather passed away from CHF in 2006.
Congestive heart failure is an extremely important health issue for the older adult to be aware of. Since heart disease is the number one killer in the United States, and many different types of heart diseases lead to CHF, it is very important for the older adult to be aware of this deadly aspect of heart disease. The American Heart Association reports as many as five million people suffer from CHF in the United States, with 550,000 new cases yearly (Swierzewski, 2010), even though only 28.7 million dollars is spent on research for heart failure. This is pathetically low if compared to other diseases with less people affected. For instance, 390,000 Americans suffer from lung cancer, but 132 million dollars is spent on their research. 160,000 more people suffer from heart failure, but they receive almost 130 million LESS dollars for research (The Heart Failure Society of America, 2011).
The Mayo Clinic provides a plethora of information concerning congestive heart failure. Knowing the symptoms of CHF is important information for the older adult to be aware of. Congestive heart failure has two types of symptoms that present, depending on which type of heart failure the person is suffering from—acute, meaning the heart failure came on suddenly, or chronic, in which the condition has been ongoing. With chronic congestive heart failure the symptoms are as follows: shortness of breath; fatigue and weakness; edema in hands, legs, and feet; rapid or irregular heartbeat; reduced ability to exercise; persistent cough that produces a white or pink tinted phlegm; swelling of the abdomen; sudden weight gain caused by fluid retention; lack of appetite and nausea; and difficulty concentrating and decreased alertness. Acute congestive heart failure presents many of the same symptoms as chronic, however these symptoms are usually more severe and may start or worsen suddenly. An example of this type of congestive heart failure would be suffered from a person who is suddenly experiencing a heart attack when they have never had known heart problems before. It is also important to note not all symptoms appear with all people. They may suffer from them in varying degrees or may not have any warning from their body that something is wrong (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2011).
Different medications are available to those suffering from CHF. Although there is no cure, medicine can help prolong the amount of time before the heart is unable to pump adequately to keep itself from literally drowning in fluids. One main type of medication is Cordarone. According to rxlist.com, it is used to “help keep the heart beating normally in people with life-threatening heart rhythm disorders of the ventricle.” It is important to understand this medication is only to be used in life-threatening situations, such as CHF. The dosages are dependent on the severity and specificities of CHF. Patients should always consult with their physician about how other medications will interact and what medication would benefit their congestive heart failure most (Rx List, 2011).
One of the most exciting research topics for congestive heart failure is artificial hearts. Since transplant donors are so scarce, especially for hearts, this would help patients healthy enough to receive transplants, to have a second chance at life. On October 27, 2008, staff writers from the Terra Daily: News About Planet Earth reported on artificial hearts. They said, “Today's generation of artificial heart is a thumb-sized device implanted in the chest that sucks blood from the heart and pumps it into the aorta, and which has to be recharged every four hours using an external battery.” They also reported that, “Surgeons in the United States and Europe have implanted such ventricular assistance devices (VAD) in 220 patients since 2000.” With advancing technology, such as this, patients who suffer from the incurable congestive heart failure, will be better equipped to further their life, even if by using a prosthetic heart and not the one they were born with (Staff Writers Paris, 2008).
There are resources for the older adult to use that would be beneficial if suffering from congestive heart failure. The Heart Failure Society of America, Inc. is a very valuable resource for those who need additional information and support. The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) is an organization dedicated solely to educating about this chronic disease. It is organized by health experts to keep individuals updated on new research, medical information, and to provide publications to their members concerning news about congestive heart failure. They can be found on the web at www.hfsa.org (The Heart Failure Society of America, 2011). My grandpa suffered and eventually passed away from congestive heart failure. I talked with my grandma about her experience with CHF, more specifically the treatment my grandpa underwent to help combat his disease. In 2000, my grandpa was eligible for a study to be done at Boone Hospital in Columbia, Missouri. This study would randomly give one person a pacemaker defibrillator, one person a pacemaker, and the third person only medication. The study wanted to prove which method worked best for combating CHF. However, since it was random, “There was no guarantee Grandpa would receive the pacemaker defibrillator,” which is the only thing that would keep him alive. Because of this, my grandpa and grandma decided to turn down the study, and were then sent to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. It was there that he was implanted with a Matrix pacemaker defibrillator the same year. He was implanted with the pacemaker defibrillator while it was still in the study program and had not yet been approved as a safe management for the disease. It was approved shortly after he received the implantation. His pacemaker defibrillator had a third wire that a regular pacemaker did not. “The third wire was responsible for shocking Grandpa, where other people would have to have paddles put on them.” My grandpa lived for six years after receiving the device. My grandma replayed the sequence of events that led to my grandpa’s final visit to the hospital. “On June 1, he came home from church and needed help getting his boots off. He was swollen so bad fluid build-up was up to his knees. That was the last time he ever wore shoes because of the fluid. In the last twenty-four to thirty-six hours of his life, you could almost here this “gurgling” noise, which was the build up of fluid caused by CHF. That Saturday they shut his defibrillator off because it was unable to pump the fluid off his heart for him anymore. That Monday they shut his pacemaker off. He lived until Tuesday morning, a good twenty-four hours after the only thing keeping him alive was his own heart, even though it was in such bad condition.” Knowing this information, anyone can see how strong of a person my grandpa was. He kept himself alive for twenty-four hours with a broken heart through pure will power. He loved his family so much and did not want to leave us.
It is easy to see how important knowledge concerning congestive heart failure is to not only the older adult, but to all individuals. If a person is unable to keep their heart healthy, as an older adult they could suffer from the devastating effects of CHF. Furthering research is continually being done to come up with new ways to combat this chronic disease. Just in my lifetime I have already seen a new pacemaker defibrillator proven effective first-hand. Without it, my grandpa would not have lived to see me get my driver’s permit. I can still hear him say as I took my first drive with him in the passenger seat, “I never thought I’d live to see the day”, with tears in his eyes. Without the dedicated research of health care professionals, I never would have gotten to share that moment with my grandpa. Hopefully, enough advances will be made and instead of extending a life by six years like my grandpa, they can extend it for ten, twenty, or maybe even longer. My grandpa had many years left in him, dying at the young age of sixty-eight. I am anxious to see how advancing technology, including pacemaker defibrillators and artificial hearts, along with advancing medications will impact the devastation of congestive heart failure. With the many health problems in today’s society, people forget to take care of their bodies as a whole, let alone their heart specifically. Correct diet and exercise from a person’s younger years to their older adult life will help prevent congestive heart failure from striking them.
