LiveWorld Transcripts

Houston Chronicle presents

Dr. Reynolds Delgado
"Ask the Doctor": Heart Failure

February 9, 2000

Dr. Reynolds Delgado of the Heart Failure Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Texas, answers audience health questions.

Page 1 of 6

HoustonChronicle: The purpose of the Ask the Doctor chats are to provide general information, and is in no way intended to be construed as medical advice for any visitors' specific disease or condition. The intent is to increase a participant's knowledge about a general disease or condition. For treatment of your specific condition please see your personal physician. This forum is not intended to be used in emergency situations. If you are uncertain of the urgency of your problem or condition, contact your personal physician or the nearest hospital for assistance. Welcome to Ask the Doctor! HoustonChronicle.com, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital - Houston, and the Talk City Network are proud to present our special guests for today, the doctors of the Heart Failure Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital.

Dr. Delgado: Hello! Thank you for having me.

StarDust: What is Heart failure?

Dr. Delgado: Simply put, it is when the heart becomes too weak to pump blood to the body, like it normally should. As a result, the body suffers and causes shortness of breath and dysfunction of various organs in the body.

Blueyes: I thought once that I was having a heart attack. I went to the hospital and all. They said my heart was strong, but I had all the symptoms. They never did tell me what was wrong. How can I tell if what I am experiencing is a heart attack or just a false alarm?

Dr. Delgado: There's no way to tell just by symptoms alone. It takes testing to know for sure if you are having a heart attack. If you have prolonged chest pain that lasts over 15 minutes, especially if it's associated with shortness of breath, then that is concerning and is a reason to seek medical attention. But the only way to know for sure whether it's a false alarm or the real thing is by having tests done that the doctors do.

Swimmer: This past summer, I was out at dinner and began getting a really rapid heartbeat. It was almost like I was going to pass out. I was taken to the hospital, and told that it was nothing. Do you have any idea what caused it?

Dr. Delgado: What you are describing is called palpitations. It's a very common problem. And in general, it is not a dangerous problem. It's usually caused by extra beats, or 'skipped' beats of the heart. It only becomes a problem if it causes you to pass out, or nearly pass out. In that circumstance, the doctors should address it more aggressively.

Sun-moon-stars: What percentage of persons who have had a cardiac event will experience heart failure at a later date?

Dr. Delgado: That percentage varies greatly, and it has to do with what type of cardiac event it was. Most commonly, it's a heart attack that causes heart failure later, and it has to do with how large the heart attack was, or how many heart attacks. Once you've had two or more heart attacks, your chances of developing heart failure are high. Also, one very large heart attack can result in heart failure later on. So the key is to prevent heart attacks to begin with, and after you've had one, to prevent subsequent ones.

Page 1 of 6