Heart failure

Related Services

All services

Locations

Clinic information

Contact

Charing Cross Hospital
020 3313 0223
Hammersmith Hospital
020 3313 1697
St Mary’s Hospital
020 3312 3242

Visitor Information

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About

Our heart failure service provides specialist investigation and treatment for people with heart failure, which includes any condition where the heart does not function sufficiently for the needs of the body.

We aim to help patients understand their condition and the specific cause, if possible. We liaise with other teams as necessary in the case of more complex situations such as cancer and pregnancy. We make sure patients are as informed and involved as possible in decisions on their care and where possible, we provide treatment and care locally in the community.

Conditions and treatments

Heart failure has many causes including coronary heart disease, valvular heart disease, hypertension, cardiotoxicity, heart muscle disease (e.g. hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy), infection-related heart disease, infiltrative heart disease (e.g. iron overload, sarcoidosis, amyloidosis), storage disorders (e.g. Fabry’s) and pregnancy-related heart failure.

We also run a dedicated frailty clinic, at some of our sites, for older people with heart failure.

Each type of heart failure may require very different treatments; however we have expertise in the following:

  • Medications to help with symptoms of fluid overload
  • Medications shown to improve symptoms, quality of life and prognosis
  • Device treatment (e.g. pacemakers) to help improve heart efficiency
  • Device treatment to help treat very abnormal heart rhythms
  • Specialist nursing support for education and optimisation of treatment
  • Cardiac catheter treatments and/or surgery
  • Onward links for mechanical support and/or transplantation

We have close links with our inherited cardiac conditions colleagues and can help facilitate family screening and genetics tests.


Additional information

Research 

Research is central to our heart failure service. There are a number of on-going clinical trials that the team may discuss with you during your appointment or contact you afterwards to discuss in more detail. 

Further online resources

Education 

We offer heart failure elective placements – please contact the lead consultant for more information.