Heart Basics
This hardworking organ pumps blood to provide oxygen and nutrients throughout the body
What is the heart?
This medication helps you pee out extra fluid
What is a water pill?
Bread, cheeses and salad dressing often have hidden amounts of this ingredient
What is a salt?
This implanted device can give you a shock if the heart is not beating correctly
What is an ICD/ defibrillator?
Doing a little of this most days (like walking) can help strengthen your heart
What is exercise?
Feeling like your heart is racing or pounding is called this
What is palpitations?
This medication helps to prevent blood clots
What is a blood thinner?
Eating less salt helps prevent this from building up in the body
What is fluid?
You should check this number everyday 1-2 hours after taking your medications
What is blood pressure?
This U.S. federal health insurance program is used primarily for people aged 65 and older
What is Medicare?
This test records the electrical signals of your heart to look at your heart rhythm
What is an EKG?
We recommend using this tool to help organize pills and reduce errors
What is a pill box?
Swelling in this body part is common when fluid builds up
What is the feet or legs?
This implanted device helps your heart beat regularly
What is a pacemaker?
This healthcare team member helps to provide support and community resources
What is a social worker?
This is the most common cause of heart failure
What is a heart attack?
Water pills affect this electrolyte in the body
What is potassium?
This is the earliest sign your body may be retaining fluid
What is weight gain?
This type of cardiology doctor helps to monitor the electrical signaling of your heart (ICD/pacemaker)
What is the electrophysiologist?
Most heart failure patients should limit fluids to about this per day
This test uses an ultrasound to look at the structure of the heart
What is an echocardiogram?
It is important to check this organ's function 2 weeks after increasing doses of your medications
What is the kidneys?
A weight gain of this many pounds, means that your body may be retaining fluid
What is over 2-3 pounds in a day or 5 pounds in a week?
This device is a sensor that monitors how much fluid you have in the body allowing for at home management of water pills
What is CardioMEMS device?
This percentage indicates how much blood the heart squeezes out with each beat
What is ejection fraction?