With a high prevalence of heart disease among local populations, having a robust, dynamic cardiac care program in the region is critical. That includes heart failure services, which UTMB’s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine expertly delivers via its team of fellowship-trained heart failure (HF) specialists.
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is not pumping as well as it should, causing fatigue and shortness of breath and making it difficult to complete everyday activities like walking, carrying groceries, or climbing stairs. It can affect people of all ages for a variety of reasons.
A referral to an HF specialist can be a lifeline to help patients find the best solution for their needs.
“It’s essential to determine the goals of care from the very start and all along the way,” says HF specialist Fatima A. Khan, MD. “It’s very important to have that discussion with patients and their families.”
Fortunately, a wide range of treatment options is available to help patients manage heart failure – from lifestyle changes to medications to surgical treatments.
Dr. Khan joined UTMB’s heart failure team last year. She completed her Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology Fellowship in Miami. Since then, her work has taken her to several locations, including Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she saw a population with similarities to that of Galveston – with many patients lacking insurance and many whose heart failure stems from drug use.
Some physicians may be hesitant to refer a patient with these concerns. However, Dr. Khan shares that these patients are not without treatment options.
“We spend significant time getting to know the patient’s background, including social factors. That really is crucial to their care,” Dr. Khan says.
Coordination with a social worker may be needed to help the patient obtain insurance or enroll in a free medication program. It is also important to learn about barriers that prevented them from getting adequate care previously, as well as being flexible with scheduling to accommodate them.
For patients whose heart failure is connected to drug use, Dr. Khan emphasizes a strong patient-physician relationship with honest communication that may help them make necessary lifestyle changes. Constantly reiterating to them how drug use can impact their heart and other organs is important.
Depending on the patient’s disease and other factors like transportation and the distance they have to travel to see a specialist, Dr. Khan says heart failure can be co-managed with primary care physicians or a general cardiologist, a concept called “shared care.”
As a newer physician in her division, Dr. Khan is eager to help the heart failure service grow, and she recognizes her opportunities to contribute.
UTMB physicians are equipped to provide the full spectrum of interventions; however, most HF management involves focusing on the patient’s quality of life. Some of the most frequently used methods include remote monitoring and medication management.
Dr. Khan and her team also work closely with Pulmonologists to care for HF patients with pulmonary hypertension.
In addition to offering advanced heart failure options like heart transplant and mechanical support devices, Dr. Khan and her colleagues have the ability to treat various types of cardiomyopathies like cardiac amyloidosis, a condition caused by a buildup of protein in the organs that was not well recognized until recently.
“It affects a large part of our population, and we have the resources to diagnose it. We have every cardiac testing modality to perform diagnostics that a bigger center has,” she says.
 | Fatima A. Khan, MD, sees patients at the UTMB Health Cardiology Clinics at the UHC in Galveston and at the Clear Lake Campus. Learn about Cardiology services at UTMB. |