Updated & improved

Introduction

Although heart failure can usually not be cured, there are many practical things that you can do to take care of yourself so that you can continue to enjoy life.

With the right care and support, heart failure should not keep you from doing most of the things you want to, as long as you are aware of your own limits.

Your future health depends on how well your heart functions and how well your heart responds to treatment. But it also depends on you. How well you work with your doctor or nurse to control your symptoms and how well you follow your treatment plan can make a big difference to your outcome.

In this section we look at specific areas of your life which may be affected by your heart failure and consider practical steps that you can take to help manage your condition. Click on any of the links to the left to learn more.

For more detailed information on how heart failure is managed take a look at the sections on What your doctor can do for your heart failure? and What can you do to manage your heart failure?

ESC Guidelines for Heart Failure

What patients need to know

This guide for patients from the European Society of Cardiology aims to provide an overview of the latest evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure.

In particular, it should help patients to understand the:

  • main types of heart failure
  • medicines used to treat heart failure
  • devices that may be appropriate
  • importance of rehabilitation
  • management by a multidisciplinary team
  • importance of self-care in managing your own condition

Learn more

AN ANIMATED JOURNEY THROUGH HEART FAILURE

A series of 9 simple, captivating animations explaining heart failure and its treatment.

These narrated animations explain how a healthy heart works, what happens to it in heart failure and how various treatments work to improve your health.

USEFUL TOOLS

Click to print these tools to help you monitor your heart failure

PATIENT AND CAREGIVERS VIDEOS

In this section you can watch, listen or read interviews with other people with heart failure and their caregivers.

VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

and share your own views and experiences with other patients, families and caregivers.

heartfailurematters.org is a European Society of Cardiology website

The heartfailurematters.org website was developed under the direction of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The ESC is a world leader in the discovery and dissemination of best practices in cardiovascular medicine. Our members and decision-makers are healthcare professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to represent professionals in the field of cardiology in Europe and beyond.

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