CONTACT
For more information, call (832) 355-3961, or to schedule an appointment, call (832) 355-9021.





OVERVIEW
We recently became the first hospital in Texas to become accredited as a Heart Failure Institute by the Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium. The accreditation is based on proficiency in managing heart failure, placing emphasis on both quantity and quality of life.

The Heart Failure Program is located at the Heart and Lung Treatment and Transplant Center. The program is coordinated by physicians, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses who specialize in helping people live quality lives through outpatient management of their heart failure.

The team works with each person to:

• Set realistic goals
• Provide personalized and group education for patients and their families
• Schedule regular clinic visits at St. Luke's Heart and Lung Treatment and Transplant Center
• Arrange for regular telephone monitoring to help prevent major health problems and hospitalization

The Heart Failure Program's specialized team offers the most recent and promising array of treatment options available. Among these are proven state-of-the-art medications, mechanical heart assist devices, and surgical interventions including resynchronization therapy and transplantation.

Patients and their families experience significant benefits from participating in the Heart Failure Program, including:

• The opportunity to participate with the team in developing a treatment plan
• The assurance that everything possible is being done and that promising alternatives on the leading edge of medical science are being explored
• An enhanced capacity for life as a result of treatment and support. Patients are given regular instructions and are informed of any changes in their health.

Heart Failure is a condition that occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. This makes the heart work harder, which eventually leads to the symptoms of heart failure. Approximately 5.7 million Americans have heart failure. Every year there are 670,000 new cases of heart failure.

The Heart Failure Program has instituted programs to treat heart failure aggressively and has successful initiatives spanning the continuum of care. Referring physicians and their patients benefit from these programs, as do healthcare professionals who want to learn firsthand about optimal management approaches.