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• Introduction
• What is heart failure?
• How does the normal heart work?
  How does the normal heart work? Part 2
• What goes wrong in heart failure?
  How does your heart and body adapt in heart failure
• What are the different types of heart failure?
• Symptoms of heart failure
  Shortness of breath
  Coughing/wheezing
  Weight gain
  Swollen ankles
  Tiredness/fatigue
  Dizziness
  Rapid heart rate
  Loss of appetite
  Need to urinate at night
  Depression and anxiety
• What causes heart failure?
  Past heart attacks
  Coronary artery disease
  High blood pressure
  Heart valve disease
  Heart muscle disease or inflammation
  Congenital heart defects
  Lung conditions
  Diabetes
  Alcohol/drug abuse
  Anaemia
  Overactive thyroid
  Abnormal heart rhythm
  Infection
  Kidney disease/poor kidney function
• Common tests for heart failure
  Medical history and physical examination
  Blood tests
  ECG
  Chest x-ray
  Echocardiogram
  Lung function tests
  Exercise testing
  Cardiac MRI
  Cardiac catheterisation and angiography
  Nuclear medicine techniques
  Multi-slice computer tomography (MSCT)
• How can heart failure change over time?
• Myths and facts about heart failure
• Test your knowledge

What can your doctor do?

• Introduction
• Heart failure medicines
  Diurectics
  ACE inhibitors
  ARBs
  Beta blockers
  Aldosterone receptor antagonists
  Vasodilators
  Digitalis preparations
  Antiarrhythmics
  Anti-thrombotics/anticoagulants
  Antiplatelets
  Statins
  Medicines for acute heart failure
  Medicine chart
  The importance of taking your medicines
  Questions to ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse about your medicines
  What about alternative/natural remedies?
• Devices
  Pacemakers
  Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy
  ICDs
• Surgery
  Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
  Valve surgery
  Heart transplantation
• Other procedures
  Angiography
  Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)
  Stenting
• Questions to ask your doctor
• People that might be involved in your care
• Heart failure clinics and management programmes (if available to you)
• Getting involved in clinical trials
• Test your knowledge

• Introduction
• Lifestyle
  Adjusting your diet
  Activity and exercise
  Techniques to conserve energy
  Smoking
  
• Travel
  Air travel
  Taking medicines on holiday
  Following your diet on holiday
  Coping with diarrhoea
  In the event if an emergency on holiday
• Immunisations
• Relationships
  Talking to your family about heart failure
  Sex and heart failure
• Your emotions
  Talk to your family/carer about how you feel
  Dealing with your emotions
• Managing your medications
• Support
• Planning for the end of life
  Advance care directive
  Do-not-resuscitate order
  Living will
  Financial plan
  Questions for your doctor or nurse
  Discussions with your family and/or carer
• Test your knowledge

Family and caregiver information

• Introduction
• Understanding your role
  Helping with personal care and practical issues
  Helping with medical care issues
  Lending emotional support
  Other tips
• Simple things you can do to help
  Managing medicines
  Diet
  Exercise/rest
• Understanding their emotions
  Recognising depression and anxiety
  How can you help
• How you may be feeling
• Support networks
• Financial concerns
• Planning for the end of life
• Test your knowledge

Warning signs

• Introduction
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Awakening shortness of breath/needing more pillows
• Fainting and/or dizziness
• Palpitations
• Cough
• Rapid weight gain
• Swelling or pain in the abdomen
• Increased swelling of the legs or ankles
• Loss of appetite/nausea
• Increasing fatigue

Patient experience

• Introduction
• Your stories in writing
  Jaouren
  Theo
  Nick
• Videos
  About
  Causes
  Lifestyle
  Living with heart failure
  Planning for the end of life
  Support
  Symptoms
  Tests and procedures
  Treatment

Questions to ask your doctor

• Introduction
• About my heart failure
• My medicines
• Devices
• Surgery
• Tests and procedures
• Living with heart failure
• Relationships and emotions
• Caregiving
• Planning for the future
• Getting support