Question

What is the first line treatment for heart failure?

Answer 1

Heart failure:

1. This is also known as congestive heart failure and is a condition when the heart fails to perform its function.
2. This usually happens when the heart does not pump enough amount of blood into the body.
3. Heart failure happens gradually whereas cardiac arrest happens suddenly without any warning.
4. Causes of heart failure are coronary artery diseases which narrow the artery obstructing proper blood flow and resulting in high blood pressure.

The following are the commonly used first-line treatments for heart failure:

1. Heart failure can be treated with Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which relax blood vessels to lower blood pressure and improve Beta-blockers
2. Beta-blockers will make the heart beat slowly and with less force, which lowers blood pressure and also helps widen veins and arteries to improve blood flow.
3. Examples of Beta-blockers: There are three FDA-approved beta-blockers that are given to treat systolic heart failure namely Bisoprolol (Zebeta), Carvedilol (Coreg), and Metoprolol (Toprol).