Heart failure clinic
Due to the ageing population, the number of patients with heart failure is rising rapidly. When the life expectancy and quality of life of these patients deteriorates, frequent admissions to hospital occur, which can have a high social cost.
The aim of the Heart Failure Clinic is therefore to:
- Provide the best possible information for patients and their relatives on the various aspects of their disease (symptoms, drug and non-drug treatments).
- Supporting the patient and working with the GP to avoid frequent hospital admissions.
Compliance with treatment and symptom recognition
The emphasis is mainly on:
- Improving compliance with treatment (e.g. taking medication correctly)
- Early symptom recognition
- Learning to respond appropriately to specific symptoms (e.g. shortness of breath or swollen feet)
Tailored treatment
The cardiologists coordinate the approach to patients with heart failure and work closely with a specialist heart failure nurse in this area.
Working closely with the patient’s GP, the treatment is optimised in an individual way to meet each patient’s needs. Support is mainly provided by the specialist heart failure nurse. The patient is seen regularly in outpatients.
When the medical treatment for heart failure is not having adequate results, patients with severe symptoms may wish to discuss more advanced treatment options:
- Resynchronisation using a three-chamber pacemaker
- Renal replacement therapy
- Heart transplantation
- Etc.
Optimising the collaboration between the various specialists and subdisciplines makes it possible to adjust the treatment to suit the patient’s needs.