Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Heart Failure
- Topic Overview
-
Health Tools
- FAQs
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Increases Your Risk
- When to Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Living With Heart Failure
- Coping With Your Feelings
- Medications
- Surgery
- Other Treatment
- End-of-Life Decisions
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
People who have heart failure may have surgery to:
- Open clogged arteries.Coronary artery bypass surgery or angioplasty may help some people who have heart failure with chest pain (angina) or who have had a heart attack.
- Fix problems that cause heart failure, such as damaged valves.
- Get a new heart. You have to meet certain conditions to get a heart transplant. But you may be able to have one if you have very bad, life-limiting symptoms.
Surgery Choices
- Heart transplant
- Surgery to get a pacemaker, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), or ventricular assist devices (VADs). For more information, see Other Treatment.
- Coronary artery bypass surgery
- Angioplasty
For more information on bypass surgery and angioplasty, see the topic Coronary Artery Disease.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: December 15, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
from
- 9 nastiest things in your supermarket
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
The iVillage Network