Ajax Harwood Clinic
Heart failure
Heart failure means the heart is not pumping as strongly as it should, so fluid backs up — into the lungs, causing breathlessness, and into the legs, causing swelling. It is a condition to manage, not a heart that is about to stop.
Get help straight away if
These are uncommon, but they need same-day care — go to an emergency department, do not wait for an appointment.
- Severe breathlessness at rest, or waking in the night unable to breatheCall 911 or go to an emergency department.
Contact us promptly if
Not an emergency, but worth being seen sooner rather than waiting it out.
- Weight up 2–3 kg over a few daysA rise this fast is fluid, not fat. Contact us — it usually means the treatment needs adjusting before you become unwell.
- New or worsening swelling in the ankles, legs or abdomen
- Needing more pillows than usual to sleep, or sleeping sitting upOften the earliest sign that fluid is building.
What usually happens
Weigh yourself daily, same time, same scales. It is the most useful thing you can do, because fluid shows up on the scales days before you feel it — and that gap is where trouble gets headed off.
The medications do more than relieve symptoms. Several of them are proven to help people live longer and stay out of hospital, which is why we persist with them even when you feel well.
Feeling well is the goal, not a reason to stop. Most of these treatments are working precisely when nothing seems to be happening.
Salt and fluid matter, and the advice is individual. What is right for one person with heart failure can be wrong for another, so ask us rather than following general advice.
At your appointment
We will ask about breathlessness, how far you can walk, how you sleep, swelling and your weight trend — those tell us more than any single test.
We will review medications carefully. Doses are often adjusted upward over time toward the levels shown to help, which is why appointments cluster after a change.
Blood tests and sometimes an echocardiogram are used to check kidney function, salts and how the heart is pumping.
We will agree what to watch and exactly when to call — the point is that you contact us early rather than waiting for it to become an emergency.
Worth asking
- What weight change should make me call you?
- Which of my medications are the ones that help me live longer?
- How much fluid and salt is right for me specifically?
- What exercise is safe and helpful for me?
Curious what your doctor is weighing up? The clinical tool we use for chf is open to anyone — it is detailed and written for clinicians, and you are welcome to read it.
Open the clinician reference →General health information for Ajax Harwood Clinic patients and the public — not medical advice, and not a substitute for seeing your own doctor. In an emergency call 911.