In the Instituto Cardiovascular of the FCV we have the Heart Failure Clinic FCV, the only program in Colombia that focuses its objectives in providing comprehensive, timely and effective care in the treatment of Advanced Cardiac Failure, with transplant options or artificial heart implant.
This specialized clinic works within our FCV institution, focusing its efforts on comprehensive medical care, involving care-related activities related to the care of patients with advanced heart failure and their families, in an interdisciplinary way, achieving a marked improvement in their quality of life as well as a very important decrease in hospitalization rates, saving costs to the system and adding life to patients.
Failure or Heart Failure is a condition in which the heart is not able to efficiently pump blood and its components to the different organs of the body, failing to fulfill its main objective. Its clinical spectrum ranges from the presence of risk factors for the disease to persistent and refractory symptoms despite treatment.
In general, this clinical syndrome is characterized by typical symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea or shortness of breath, edema (swelling) of the ankles, which may be accompanied by clinical signs such as increased jugular venous pressure, pulmonary rales (due to fluid accumulation). and ascites (abdominal distension).
Actually, Heart Failure is one of the most important social and health problems in the world and its prevalence continues to grow. It is estimated that 2% of the adult population in developed countries suffer from this deadly condition, however, its prevalence increases to more than 10% among people aged 70 or older. Without adequate treatment, 80% of patients die in less than 5 years, but not before suffering multiple hospitalizations and important use of healthcare resources.
In the last 30 years, advances in treatments and their implementation have improved survival and reduced the rate of hospitalization in patients with this condition. Despite this, mortality persists high because the application of these therapies is still underutilized by multiple causes. The multidisciplinary groups have proven to supply the deficiencies of care, improve the use of the therapies included in the guidelines and the adherence of patients to self-care and medication, translating into a decrease in hospitalizations and mortality in the target population.
OBJECTIVES
Objectives of the Cardiac Failure Clinic FCV
- Provide timely and effective care to patients referred to our institution for the management of Advanced Heart Failure, integrally and with cutting edge technology.
- Have a multidisciplinary team, highly trained, that guarantees the highest quality care, including prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of the disease, to allow the family, social and work reintegration of the patient.
- Educate the patient and his family about their pathology, their treatment, their care and the strategies to be implemented.
- To optimize the resources in the care of the patients of the Heart Failure Clinic FCV and to look for strategies that allow increasing the coverage of the attention.
- Decrease preventable hospitalizations to safeguard the resources of the health system.
ACHIEVEMENTS
