Heart Failure

Cardiology and Primary Care located in the Financial District, New York, NY

Up to 6.5 million Americans ages 20 and older suffer from heart failure, a chronic condition that impairs the heart's ability to pump blood effectively. This mismatch between the body's demand for blood and the heart's supply leads to a host of health problems and debilitating symptoms. Heart failure is a progressive disease that can significantly reduce both the length and quality of life. The good news is, we can help. At Vivify Medical in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, board-certified cardiologist Amnon Beniaminovitz, MD, provides cutting-edge, science-based, complete care for heart failure. Call the New York City office today to schedule heart failure treatment or book your appointment online.

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Q&A

Are congestive heart failure and heart failure the same?

Heart failure is the general chronic condition that impairs the heart's ability to pump enough blood to support a normal, active lifestyle. While the term Congestive heart failure is often used interchangeably, it specifically refers to heart failure when accompanied by fluid buildup (congestion). Systolic heart failure is a specific type of heart failure where the heart muscle cannot contract forcefully enough. In heart failure, the heart still pumps blood, but its inefficiency causes blood to build up in some areas and limits flow to others, increasing the risk of severe health problems and debilitating symptoms.

What are the symptoms of heart failure?

Heart failure symptoms include:

Shortness of breath
Waking up out of breath in the middle of the night
Chest pain
Heart palpitations
Fatigue during activity
Weight gain
A hacking cough
A bloated or hard stomach

Some people with heart failure don’t experience obvious symptoms. With treatment, some causes of heart failure can be reversed, others can be prevented from worsening.

Who is at risk of congestive heart failure?

Anyone can experience heart failure, but several underlying medical conditions increase your risk, including diabetes, thyroid disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, coronary artery disease, long standing persistent untreated arrythmia, congenital and valvular heart disease and genetic risk factors.

Lifestyle factors such as obesity, suboptimal diet, smoking, recreational drug use, alcohol consumption can also contribute to this condition.

How does a cardiologist diagnose heart failure?

At Vivify Medical we thoroughly review your medical records and past medical history, ask about your symptoms, family history, and lifestyle.

We then complete a full physical exam including an electrocardiogram and echocardiogram. We may consider additional in-house testing such as stress testing, at home sleep apnea testing and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. We may also place a 5-to-7-day mobile cardiac monitor to assess for underlying arrythmias. We may order bloodwork and other diagnostic imaging, such as an CT angiogram of the coronary arteries, a cardiac MRI or PET scan.

How is heart failure treated?

At Vivify Medical, Dr. Beniaminovitz treats heart failure with a science-based, cutting-edge integrative approach. Thankfully with new medications and interventions many forms of heart failure can be reversed. For those forms of heart failure that cannot be reversed many can be managed to greatly reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.