People with congestive heart failure often require frequent hospitalization to deal with flare-ups of their symptoms. With proper self-care, many patients can avoid hospital stays. Akron General's Heart & Vascular Center offers a Heart Improvement Program to address these special needs and to help patients enjoy a better quality of life.
Heart Improvement Clinic
The Heart Improvement Clinic is a complete program focusing on prevention and early involvement in the treatment of heart failure. Components of our program include education about medication, diet and fluid intake, exercise, weight monitoring, sign and symptom management and risk factor modification. The Clinic does not replace a doctor's care but rather works with the doctor to continually educate, monitor and treat the patient, based on diagnosis and the patient's plan of care. Through telemedicine, our nurses are able to monitor heart failure symptoms while the patient is at home, heading off potential problems and unnecessary hospital stays.
Akron General's Heart & Vascular Center has the area's only Heart Improvement Clinic that offers an innovative, non-invasive treatment designed to help the heart pump more efficiently. It's called External Counterpulsation and may be appropriate to increase blood flow to help relieve angina and fatigue, which are often associated with heart failure.
A structured cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program may also be effective in alleviating the symptoms of heart failure. Akron General's Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation program provides supervised exercise as well as support in making lifestyle modifications.
For more information about Akron General's Heart Improvement Program and how we can help patients with heart failure experience a better quality of life, call 330-344-5674.
Information on Heart Failure
What is Heart Failure
Anatomy of the Heart
Problems Involving Heart Rhythm
Cardiovascular Tests and Procedures
Online Heart Resources
