Heart Failure: What You Should Know

Heart failure is the fastest-growing form of heart disease in the United States — 1 in 5 adults over 40 will develop it in their lifetime. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed, this is the guide that explains what it actually means and what comes next.

Written by Dr. Gregory Egnaczyk (MD, PhD, FACC) and Dr. Dean Kereiakes (MD, FACC) — two of the most respected cardiologists in the country — this plain-language resource makes heart failure genuinely easy to understand.

What you'll learn:

•       What heart failure actually is — and why it means your heart isn't pumping efficiently, not that it has "failed"

•       Ejection fraction (EF) explained clearly — what the number means and how it's measured

•       Diagnostic tests — echocardiogram, cardiac MRI, catheterization, and nuclear scans, explained in plain terms

•       The main risk factors — high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, diabetes, valve disease, and more

•       Treatment options — medications, devices, lifestyle changes, and what you can do to manage your own disease

•       What to watch for — symptoms that mean it's time to call your doctor

Living with heart failure means playing an active role in managing it. This book gives you the knowledge to do that with confidence — from diagnosis onward.