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Congestive heart failure typically develops slowly and involves a gradual loss in the ability of the heart to pump blood adequately.  In contrast, a heart attack is a sudden event where the blood supply to the heart is interrupted.

Tests and Exams
UT Southwestern cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons have access to the most novel and cutting-edge diagnostic tests and procedures available today. Utilizing this wide variety of both non-invasive and invasive cardiac examinations, the heart failure specialists can pinpoint the exact nature of heart disease for each patient. This allows physicians at UT Southwestern to individualize heart failure treatment options for each patient based on their specific diagnosis. 

Treatment
Each member of UT Southwestern's heart failure team believes strongly in the mission to educate patients on their disease and, together, develop the best treatment plan for their illness. 

The treatment of heart failure can be viewed as a continuum. In general, early treatment focuses on lifestyle changes and optimization of basic medical therapies. The next steps in treatment options include more aggressive medical therapies or potentially a pacemaker and/or defibrillator. For the small percentage of patients for whom heart failure continues to progress, UT Southwestern's team of experts can provide the most advanced solutions utilizing artificial heart pumps (ventricular assist devices) or by offering a heart transplant.  

Bi-ventricular pacemakers are a surgical treatment option for some patients suffering from heart failure.

Another surgical option for the treatment of heart failure is the left ventricular assist device or LVAD. Some patients may be candidates for this surgery as they await a heart transplant. At UT Southwestern, the LVAD is used as a treatment option for select patients for whom heart transplantation is not an option.

Heart-Failure Hospital Unit
UT Southwestern University Hospital - St. Paul houses a specialized 22-bed heart-failure unit for patients with this condition. The goal is to provide focused care - through multidisciplinary physician care, a 1-to-3 nurse/patient ratio and primary-care nursing.

Patient Education
UT Southwestern has the advanced medical resources and diagnostic techniques that enable patients to lead a long and healthy life. Our cardiovascular specialists can discuss all of the options available to effectively treat specific conditions of heart failure. For more information, please visit the Health Library.

To request or schedule a patient appointment, please call the Patient and Physician Referral Service at 214-645-8300.