Heart Failure
Commonly Asked Questions
While heart failure isn’t necessarily reversible, you may be able to manage the condition effectively with lifestyle changes and medication. Work with your doctor to create a treatment plan that can help relieve symptoms and improve your quality of life.
The first line of treatment for heart failure typically includes medications such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and beta-blockers, which work in different ways to reduce blood pressure. With that said, heart failure treatment is tailored to the individual.
People with heart failure often have limited exercise capacity, which may make them fearful of being active. A comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program can provide guidance for the type and amount of exercise a person with heart failure should be doing.
Life expectancy with heart failure varies significantly based on the underlying condition causing heart failure, its severity, how well a person follows and responds to their treatment plan, age, gender, lifestyle factors, and the presence of any other health conditions.
Chung Yoon, MD
Medical Reviewer
Anurag Sahu, MD
Medical Reviewer
Anurag Sahu, MD, is the director of the adult congenital heart program at Inova Health System in Fairfax, Virginia. Previously, he was an associate professor of medicine as well as an associate professor of radiology at Emory University in Atlanta, where he also served as director of cardiac intensive care.
He attended medical school at the University of Missouri in Kansas City in its combined six-year BA/MD program. He then completed his internal medicine residency at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC; fellowship training at Rush University in Chicago; and advanced training in cardiac imaging and adult congenital heart disease at The Ohio State University in Columbus.
Dr. Sahu has published book chapters on cardiovascular imaging as well as a variety of journal articles in publications including The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplant, JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, and the Journal of Thoracic Imaging.
Among the places that his career has taken him, his favorite was Kauai, Hawaii, where he was the only cardiologist on the island.
Michael Cutler, DO, PhD
Medical Reviewer
Michael Cutler, DO, PhD, is a cardiac electrophysiologist at Intermountain Heart Rhythm Specialists in Salt Lake City, Utah. His research interests include understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmia, gene therapy for cardiac arrhythmias, neural control of the circulation in sleep apnea, role of exercise in health and disease, and improving the management of cardiac arrhythmias (i.e., atrial fibrillation).
He completed his BS and MS in exercise physiology and was a member of the track/cross country team at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Cutler was an adjunct clinical instructor in the College of Health at the University of Utah and also served on the Utah Governor’s Council on Health and Physical Fitness. He then attended the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth for medical school and for his PhD in cardiovascular physiology.
After medical school, Cutler entered the highly selective ABIM Research Pathway physician-scientist training program at the MetroHealth Campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. During this time, he completed his clinical training in internal medicine, cardiology and clinical cardiac electrophysiology, served as chief cardiology fellow, and received the Kenneth M. Rosen Fellowship in cardiac pacing and electrophysiology from the Heart Rhythm Society. Following residency and fellowship, Cutler accepted a position as an assistant professor of medicine at the MetroHealth Campus of Case Western Reserve University until he joined his current partners at Intermountain Heart Rhythm Specialists.
Cutler's research has received meritorious recognition from the American Physiological Society, the American Heart Association, and the Heart Rhythm Society.
Cutler has been an author on publications in journals such as Circulation, Circulation Research, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and Nature. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and clinical cardiac electrophysiology through the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Alex Dimitriu, MD
Medical Reviewer
Alex Dimitriu, MD, is dual board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine. He helps his patients optimize peak performance by day and peak restorative sleep by night, and he brings a deep respect for science and spirituality into his work.
Dr. Dimitriu has been recognized by The New York Times, Discover magazine, Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan, and NBC News, among other media outlets. He is a medical reviewer for Business Insider and the Sleep Foundation, and is a contributing author to the Encyclopedia of Sleep Medicine.
- Heart Failure. Mayo Clinic. January 21, 2025.