UPMC is a national leader in innovative approaches to advanced heart failure care.
Together, our multidisciplinary team of experts strives to provide leading-edge, compassionate care that improves outcomes, no matter how complex your condition.
UPMC is a full-service heart failure center, providing expert care for patients of any age with heart failure (CHF). Our center is one of the largest in the U.S. and our team is known for excellence in:
At UPMC, you have access to state-of-the-art heart treatments and procedures, such as:
Our experts provide comprehensive treatment for advanced heart failure.
If you’ve been diagnosed with heart failure, our experts can provide you with a full range of treatment options tailored to your condition, goals, and preferences.
Our heart specialists:
Whether treatment involves recovery, repair, or replacement, you can be confident that you're receiving superior cardiac care from a team that's among the best in the world. Treatment options include:
Your doctor will work with you to help you quit smoking, exercise, manage your weight, and adopt a heart-healthy diet to ease the workload for your heart.
In many cases, drugs can reduce symptoms and complications of heart failure. Managing heart failure with medication is a time-tested strategy that has helped people live better lives for years.
Every medicine has side effects and risks, but the risks are usually not as serious as leaving heart failure untreated. Never stop taking medications without talking to your doctor. Your doctor may prescribe medications including:
If you are living with heart failure, your doctor will help you determine the best way to monitor your condition and reduce your chance of future hospitalizations.
Doctors recommend that people with heart failure develop good self-management skills to help them manage their condition. These self-management skills include:
Your doctor can also provide recommendations for limiting your fluid intake, getting regular exercise, and quitting smoking, all of which can help manage your heart failure.
Select patients may be eligible for the CardioMEMS HF System. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2014, the system uses a small sensor implanted in your pulmonary artery and an external electronic system to transmit information directly to your doctor's office.
With the CardioMEMS HF System, you take daily readings of your pulmonary artery pressure from home. The readings are delivered securely to your doctor's office through an external electronic system. These readings can help your doctor determine if your condition is getting worse before you have symptoms. Your doctor can then adjust your medication or treatment plan and help you avoid hospitalization.
If other treatments have not helped to manage your heart failure, your doctor may recommend a surgical procedure. Surgical treatment options include:
UPMC specialists offer palliative care, which helps to treat symptoms of heart failure and side effects of treatment. Our team also offers comprehensive, compassionate end-of-life care, if necessary.
Our team includes heart failure-trained cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, interventional cardiologists, bioengineers, advanced practice providers (APPs), and other medical experts. They will create a comprehensive plan to manage your heart failure and reduce your risk of complications.
To prepare for your visit with your heart failure expert, you will be asked to provide:
If you get a referral from your primary care doctor or another physician, they may be able to provide your test results and medical records to our team.
When you arrive for your first appointment, you'll meet with one of the heart failure providers. This may include a nurse practitioner or physician assistant in addition to a physician.
He or she will ask about your medical history and heart failure symptoms. Your provider will review your prior testing (if available) and discuss your diagnosis, treatment plan, and any recommendations in detail.
Your treatment plan will be tailored to you based on the type of heart failure you have, symptoms, testing results, and goals.
We'll give you a:
Together, we will design and agree on a care plan.
Treatments may include:
If you need a test or procedure, we'll schedule it before you leave the office.
Our team will schedule follow-up appointments as needed to check in with you about how your treatment is working. You should contact our office if:
Our heart failure team includes:
Last reviewed by a UPMC medical professional on 2024-10-01.
