Advanced Heart Care

What is advanced heart care?

Advanced heart care is an additional treatment needed for heart failure or heart disease when standard therapies aren’t working.

You may need advanced heart care if:

• Your heart failure is getting worse, even with treatment
• You often need care in the hospital for your heart condition
• Your cardiologist refers you

With advanced heart care, a multidisciplinary team of specialists work together to help you get the care and treatment you need.

What symptoms may signal the need for advanced care? 

You may need advanced cardiology care if you have these symptoms, even when you’re taking your medications and following your treatment plan as directed:

• Shortness of breath when you are resting or lying down
• Feeling more weak or tired than usual
• Swollen legs, ankles or abdomen
• Not wanting to eat very much
• Losing weight without trying
• Having to go to the hospital often for heart issues

Learn the signs of advanced heart failure.

What causes and conditions may lead to advanced heart failure?

You may have advanced heart failure due to:

• Acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock: With this complication of a severe heart attack, your heart can’t pump enough blood to your body.
• Untreatable/refractory coronary artery disease (CAD): This occurs when blockage of the arteries that bring blood to your heart doesn’t get better with conventional treatments.   
• Progressive cardiomyopathy: Weakening or stiffening of your heart may get worse over time.
• Previous heart attacks: A history of heart attacks can make heart failure worse. 
• Heart valve disease: Valve disease can weaken your heart, especially if it’s not treated. 
• Congenital heart disease: You may be born with conditions that weaken your heart or affect how it works.
• Arrhythmias: Conditions like atrial fibrillation (AFib) and ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation may damage your heart over time.
• Metabolic syndrome and obesity: Metabolic syndrome is when you have three or more of these conditions: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, high triglycerides or too much fat at the waist. Over time, metabolic syndrome and obesity can weaken your heart. 
• Other causes: 
  • Genetics
  • Pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs)
  • Iron overload
  • Pregnancy complications
  • Cancer treatment
  • Certain types of heart disease, including amyloid, sarcoid and hypertrophic

How is advanced heart failure diagnosed and evaluated?

To diagnose and evaluate advanced heart failure, your health care provider will review your medical history and perform a physical examination.

They may recommend tests including:

• Echocardiogram: To visualize and measure your heart’s ability to pump
• Left heart catheterization: To check for blockages in the arteries that bring blood to the heart
• Blood tests: To measure peptides that are markers for heart failure
• Stress testing: To see how your heart and lungs function under stress, such as exercise
• Right heart catheterization: To check the blood pressure in your lungs and heart
• Cardiac MRI: To determine how much damage your heart muscle has
• Genetic testing: To see what role genes may play in your heart disease

These tests can show how extensive your heart failure is, so your care team can put together an advanced treatment plan.

What are advanced heart care treatment options?

Heart failure treatment options include medical therapies and lifestyle support such as:

• Cardiac rehabilitation: This structured program may help you improve your heart health.
• Mechanical circulatory support: Options such as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), total artificial heart (TAH) and temporary heart pumps may help support your heart and circulate your blood until you can get a heart transplant.
• Heart transplant: You may need your heart removed and replaced with a healthier heart from a donor.
• Clinical trials: Innovative research opportunities may be able to connect you with other treatment options.

When should you consider advanced care?

You may want to ask your provider about a referral to an advanced heart failure specialist if:

• You’ve been hospitalized for heart failure more than once in a year
• You can’t tolerate taking your medications as directed
• You have symptoms even when you’re resting or slightly active
• Your cardiologist recommends it

Why choose Banner Health for advanced heart care? 

At Banner Health, our advanced heart care program includes:

• A multidisciplinary care team with cardiologists, surgeons, nurses, therapists, pharmacists and dietitians working together to make sure you get the right care
• Personalized care plans and case management
• Behavioral health and social work support to help with the ways advanced heart disease affects you
• Telehealth and remote monitoring in some cases, so you can get care without leaving home

When you choose Banner Health for advanced heart care, you’ll have access to:

• A nationally recognized transplant center and heart failure program working for you
• Treatment with proven high success rates and low complication rates
• Dedicated clinics throughout the Southwest
• A focus on good long-term outcomes, support and quality of life

Ready to take the next step?

If you or a loved one is living with advanced heart failure, we’re here to help.

Find a Banner heart specialist near you.