A one-stop shop for treating heart failure patients

Congestive heart failure is a common yet challenging disease that affects millions of Americans.

It occurs when the heart becomes too weak to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs and can be caused by common heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease and high blood pressure or congenital heart defects. Patients can experience painful and dangerous symptoms, such as shortness of breath or even cardiac arrest, which can lead to frequent hospitalizations.

 Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago has announced the opening of a new heart failure clinic, a comprehensive one-stop shop designed to streamline care for heart failure patients and help them manage their disease.

It is not uncommon for heart failure patients to make several appointments for different services related to their disease management. This is where the heart failure clinic shines: It offers critical treatments and services, which patients can receive during a single visit and under one roof.

Treatments and services provided during a single clinic visit including blood draws, cardioactive medication infusions or titrations, medication reconciliation, echocardiograms and EKGs.

The staff will also coordinate scheduling so patients can receive additional services, such as cardiac rehabilitation or pulmonary medicine, on the same day as their clinic visit. Other special features of the heart failure clinic include telemonitoring technology, which enables the heart failure care team to monitor patients remotely.

“The goal of our heart failure clinic is to keep our patients happy, healthy and out of the hospital,” says Kathleen Magurany, clinical service line director of the Advocate Heart Institute at Illinois Masonic.

“Heart failure is an incredibly difficult disease to manage, so it’s our job to not only treat patients so they feel better but also give them the tools and knowledge they need to manage their condition on a day-to-day basis.”

The heart failure clinic is led by Dr. Mugurel Bazavan, a cardiologist with a subspecialty interest in heart failure treatment. He is supported by a nurse practitioner, registered nurse and medical assistant, all of whom are trained in the latest standards of heart failure care.

Find out more about the heart failure clinic and take our simple and easy heart risk assessment to determine your risk for heart disease.