WellSpan York Hospital Offers Expert Congestive Heart Failure Treatment

By Barry Sparks

WellSpan offers state-of-theart treatments that include new medications and new devices to treat congestive heart failure (CHF), the leading cause of hospitalization for people older than 65.

“We have developed an expertise in treating CHF patients,” says Dr. Adnan Malik, medical director of heart failure services at WellSpan. “We treat more than 1,000 CHF patients a year. The high volume allows us to build a larger team, provide cutting-edge treatment, and acquire the latest technology.”

CHF is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood well enough to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen. Almost 6 million Americans have CHF.

Many medical conditions that damage the heart muscle can cause CHF, including:

• Coronary heart disease

• Heart attack

• Cardiomyopathy

• Congenital heart disease

• Diabetes

• High blood pressure

• Tobacco and recreational drug use

• Chemotherapy drugs

“The symptoms of CHF are very unsettling and include shortness of breath, feeling tired, less able to exercise, and swollen feet, ankles, and abdomen,” Malik says.

Malik says it’s important for patients to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Some of the complications of CHF include irregular heartbeat, sudden cardiac arrest, heart valve problems, fluid in the lungs, pulmonary hypertension, kidney damage, liver damage, and malnutrition. Ultimately, it can be fatal.

“CHF can be difficult to diagnose, and sometimes there may be a delay,” he says. “If we diagnose it early, we have a full toolbox of treatments we can use. If you’re experiencing symptoms of CHF, ask your provider to check to see if you have CHF. Our current treatments can improve the quality of life and extend life by years. Many patients reach their normal lifespan.” Great improvements in the treatment of CHF have been made in the past two or three years, according to Malik. New classes of medications — such as SGLT2 inhibitors and IMPULSE Optimizer® Smart device delivers the drug Entresto — have improved precisely timed energy pulses to the heart. outcomes. Specialized pacemakers are now available. Patients with advanced CHF may be candidates for left ventricle assist device (LVAD) surgery. WellSpan York Hospital recently implanted its first Optimizer Smart device, which can help patients with moderate to severe CHF. Designed to increase the strength of the heart’s contractions and allow it to pump more blood, the FDA-approved device, which is about the size of a pacemaker, is implanted in a small pocket under the skin of the upper chest. Using pacemaker leads, the device sends electrical pulses to the heart muscle for five to seven hours a day, in one-hour treatments separated by regular intervals. Most patients can return home soon after the implant

Dr. Adnan Malik, medical director of heart failure services at WellSpan. is completed and return to everyday activities shortly afterward. Malik believes WellSpan’s team approach to treating CHF works best for patients and produces the best outcomes. “Our patients have access to a highly skilled and trained team of cardiologists and nurse practitioners, plus the best and newest treatments,” he says. “Taking care of patients in their community improves care by dramatic measures. Patients have easy access to our team, caregivers, and loved ones who participate in their care.”