Patients who suffer from congestive heart failure experience a combination of symptoms that can severely affect and interrupt their daily lives, often leading to inactivity that can further worsen the disease and its symptoms.
Common symptoms can include shortness of breath with basic daily activities, trouble breathing when lying down, fluid retention that causes weight gain and swelling (usually in the feet, legs, or stomach), and general fatigue or weakness.
Common Symptoms
- Shortness of Breath
- Weight Gain
- Swelling
- Abnormal Blood Pressure
- Fatigue or Weakness
Serious complications associated with congestive heart failure include kidney and liver damage, fluid buildup around the lungs, malnutrition, additional heart conditions, and pulmonary hypertension.
Avoiding decompensation leading to hospitalization, however, is challenging. Traditional approaches to monitoring HF patients include frequent weight monitoring, blood pressure measurements, Holter monitoring, or symptom assessments using structured telephone encounters or telemonitoring-based platforms. However, these methods are time- and resource-intensive for both patients and providers.
Risk Factors Associated with Heart Failure Monitoring
Many older adults experience problems with balance and dizziness. These problems can be caused by certain medications, balance disorders, or other medical conditions. And balance problems are one reason older people fall.
Because elderly adults are particularly dependent on vision to maintain postural stability, frequently standing on a weight scale can be onerous, difficult and dangerous.
