Every culture, worldwide and throughout history, has recognized the importance of blood, so much so that many of those cultures even ascribed a mystical quality to the fluid. Even in the absence of more advanced medical knowledge, the ancients knew what we still hold to be true today: blood is lifegiving, and in many ways, more so than other bodily fluids. When a condition affects the proper flow of blood, the consequences can be dire, and treatment is accordingly urgent and crucial. Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is one of the key cardiac conditions we treat here at Paragon.

What does Congestive Heart Failure do?

The many conditions and states of health that can ultimately cause CHF can get complicated, but the end result is that the heart cannot pump with enough strength for important tissues and organs throughout the body to get enough blood. This can be caused or accompanied by issues like coronary artery disease, prior heart attacks, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythm, heart valve disease, and any infection or disease of the heart musculature of known or unknown cause.

With any stage of CHF, patients are often encouraged to make lifestyle changes like stopping smoking, eliminating alcohol consumption, eating a healthier diet and exercising. In more serious cases of CHF, cardiologists may turn to the use of medical devices, such as pacemakers, implanted defibrillators (the function of implanted defibrillators is to restore the heart's rhythm in the event of a potentially lethal rhythm) or ventricular assist devices (ventricular assist devices would be moved to the most severe section. At this level, the options may be our infusion therapy (inotropes), ventricular assist device and/or heart transplant) to help the heart keep up with the body’s demand for circulated blood. In the most severe cases, when lifestyle changes and preliminary treatments have not sufficiently improved a patient’s cardiovascular function, the following line of treatment often requires infusion therapy.

How can Paragon help?

In many cases, and in addition to other treatment options, your cardiologist may turn to the use of inotropic drugs. Inotropes are a class of medicines with many applications, but in the case of CHF, the focus would be placed on positive inotropes to make heart contractions stronger and pump your blood further. Paragon can supply your infusible inotrope therapy for administration at home, as well as connect you with a caring and qualified home health team to get you comfortable with the home infusion process.

If a patient’s cardiac function has declined to the point of necessitating a heart transplant, Paragon also administers immunosuppressants often used to ensure the body’s acceptance of a transplanted organ.

In cases of a severe decline in cardiac function, Paragon Home Infusion can also play a key role in palliative or home hospice care, managing pain levels and ensuring patients and their loved ones can receive treatment with comfort and dignity.

We understand that heart disease and congestive heart failure can be scary diagnoses, but between our experience in the Home Infusion industry and our dedicated, caring and knowledgeable team of pharmacists, RN clinical liaisons, home health nurses, we will do everything we can to alleviate the stress involved in treating your CHF or related cardiac condition at home.

Visit our Home Infusion Therapy page to learn more about Paragon’s services.