Heart Failure Care
When you have heart failure, you can feel weak and tired. To treat this condition, also called congestive heart failure (CHF), you need advanced care close to home. The heart and vascular experts at Cone Health can deliver the leading-edge treatments you need.
With us, you’ll receive complete, multidisciplinary care. We use the latest technologies and therapies to keep you out of the hospital and improve your quality of life. As your health care partner, we’re here to strengthen your heart.
High-Quality Heart Failure Care
Cone Health and Cone Health Medical Group deliver nationally recognized heart failure care that helps you achieve your best outcome. We are High Performing in heart failure care at both Moses Cone Hospital and Alamance Regional Medical Center (U.S. News & World Report, 2024-25).
What Is Congestive Heart Failure?
The term heart failure sounds scary. But it doesn’t mean your heart stops beating. Instead, it means your heart muscle isn’t strong enough to pump as much blood as your body needs. Sometimes, heart failure causes blood and fluid to back up in your lungs, creating a condition called pulmonary edema.
Heart Failure Symptoms
Everyone experiences heart failure differently. Your symptoms can be mild or severe. Or you may not notice any symptoms. In addition, symptoms can appear suddenly, or they may develop slowly.
If you have heart failure symptoms, they can include:
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Swollen legs and ankles (edema)
- Weakness
- Weight gain
Seek emergency care immediately if your heart failure symptoms suddenly get worse.
What Are the 4 Stages of Congestive Heart Failure?
Heart failure is a chronic condition. That means it lasts a long time (usually for life) and can limit your daily activities. Heart failure also gets worse over time. This condition has four stages (A, B, C and D).
Stage A
Stage A is a pre-heart failure stage. At this point, you’re at high risk for developing the condition. A family history of CHF can increase your risk. So can other medical conditions like coronary artery disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Stage B
Stage B is also a pre-heart failure stage. Your left ventricle — the part of your heart that pumps blood to your body — doesn’t work well or has structural problems. You usually do not feel heart failure symptoms in Stage B.
Stage C
When you reach Stage C, you have congestive heart failure. You currently have or have experienced heart failure symptoms.
Stage D
In Stage D, you have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). This means you have advanced symptoms that do not improve with treatment. Stage D is the last heart failure stage.
Advanced Heart Failure Clinic
When you come to us for heart failure treatment, you can be confident you’ll receive complete, multidisciplinary care. Our heart failure team works with you to create a personalized treatment plan. We answer your questions and teach you to monitor and manage your condition.
We offer whole-person care in this outpatient clinic and give you convenient access to your entire care team in one spot. During a single visit, you will see:
- Cardiologists who specialize in advanced heart failure and heart transplant
- Clinical social workers
- Dietitians
- Nurse navigators who coordinate and guide your care
- Pharmacists
Your doctor may refer you to the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic if you:
- Have heart failure that recently became advanced
- Have pulmonary hypertension
- May need a heart transplant or ventricular assist device (VAD)
- Need heart failure education and follow-up care
- Need heart failure medication management
- Need a 7-day follow-up appointment after being discharged from the hospital for heart failure care
Heart Failure Treatment
Your heart failure care team will create a treatment plan that works best for you. Our goal is to help you control your symptoms and get back to the daily activities you enjoy most.
Our experts will recommend treatments based on your unique needs. Your care plan may include:
- Daily weight and symptom monitoring
- Lifestyle changes (exercise, low-sodium diet, quitting smoking)
- Medications
- Palliative care to ease your symptoms during any treatment stage
- Pre-heart transplant evaluation and care
- Surgery
- Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG): Improves blood flow to your heart
- Heart valve repair or replacement: Improves blood flow through your heart
- Left ventricular assist device (LVAD): Helps your heart pump blood
- Pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD): Helps regulate your heartbeat
