When the heart pumps or relaxes less well than it should. An echo shows it; a plan treats it.
General information, not medical advice. If it is happening now, with pain, breathlessness or collapse, call 999.
What it feels like
Breathless on stairs you used to manage, needing more pillows at night, or ankles that swell by the evening. Often gradual, often blamed on age or weight.
What we do first
An echocardiogram, performed by the consultant in the consulting room and read while you are there. Blood tests the same day; a 24-hour blood-pressure monitor if the pressure is part of the picture.
What we find
- A heart that pumps normally, and another cause for the breathlessness.
- A heart that relaxes stiffly, common with high blood pressure, and very treatable.
- A weakened pump, where modern medication changes the outlook substantially.
What happens next
Treatment starts the same day where it is needed. Reviews are with the same consultant, with a repeat echo when it will change the plan.
Book it online in under a minute, or call and speak to a person. Either way, you will be seen by Dr Verrin.