Living Well with Heart Failure, the Misnamed, Misunderstood Condition

Heart failure--the expression alone is scary. The idea that the blood-pumping organ in our chest can struggle, stutter, or suddenly stop is deeply disconcerting. But for those who get the diagnosis, the future is not necessarily bleak. With the right treatments and a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise and good nutrition, many people with heart failure can improve their condition and live well.

Heart failure expert Edward K. Kasper, M.D., teams with journalist--and survivor--Mary Knudson to give readers an honest account of this misunderstood condition. The authors explain the complex science of heart failure and look critically at the care available.

Living Well with Heart Failure, the Misnamed, Misunderstood Condition will help readers understand:
- The causes of the condition
- Normal and abnormal heart rhythms
- How to recognize symptoms and when to seek treatment
- Which diagnostic tests to expect
- The best treatments for different types of heart failure
- How pacemakers work
- The advantages and disadvantages of implantable cardioverter defibrillators
- How to be safer in a hospital
- What exercises result in increased heart, leg, arm, and core body strength
- What foods to eat and what to avoid

Informed by the shared knowledge of doctor and patient, those diagnosed with heart failure and their loved ones will learn how to effectively manage the condition in this comprehensive and compassionate guide.

Edward K. Kasper, M.D., is the E. Cowles Andrus Professor in Cardiology and Director of Clinical Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Mary Knudson is a national award-winning medical writer and editor. She was diagnosed with heart failure in 2003 and got well.