Managing Heart Failure: Diet, Palpitations & Symptoms

Managing congestive heart failure requires a strict sodium-controlled diet and careful fluid intake. Addressing secondary symptoms like heart palpitations often involves balancing electrolytes like magnesium and calcium.

Effects of Lasix on Congestive Heart Failure

Published Aug,14 2017 | By Kitsey Canaan, RN, CLNC

In congestive heart failure, a chronic condition which requires lifetime management, the blood vessels, lungs and other organs become overloaded with fluid. While a healthy heart pumps blood efficiently through vessels and organs, in CHF the heart’s pumping ability is weak.

Kitsey Canaan is a medical-surgical nurse. Since 1983 she has written for the "Bennington Banner," HERE, "New Wives's Tales," and literary magazines. Canaan earned a B.A. at Bennington College and an M.F.A. in writing at Indiana University. At Vermont Technical College she earned an A.D.N. in nursing. A legal nurse consultant, Canaan educates attorneys in medical record review and consults on medically related cases.