Managing Heart Failure
Go beyond the scale with SOZO®, the newest technology for point-of-care heart failure fluid assessment.
Understanding Heart Failure
Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. Over time fluid builds up in the blood vessels, legs, abdomen, and other parts of the body. If you or someone you know has heart failure, then you know how hard it can be to manage.
Signs & Symptoms
Common symptoms for patients with heart failure include5:
- Shortness of breath
- Persistent coughing or wheezing
- Swelling due to fluid build up
- Tiredness, fatigue
- Lack of appetite, nausea
- Confusion, impaired thinking
If you or your loved one is experiencing these symptoms, please contact a medical professional or emergency services.
Tracking & Treating Symptoms
Tracking symptoms helps heart failure patients, and their healthcare teams find signs of fluid buildup that may require treatment. Your healthcare team will ask about how you feel and conduct a medical exam. They will check your heart rate, blood pressure, weight, and swelling5.
Common treatments for heart failure include5:
- Lifestyle changes
- Medications
- Medical devices and surgical procedures
Be sure to track symptoms and follow the treatment plan provided by your healthcare team. Contact them or emergency services if symptoms worsen.
Beyond the Scale
Many patients and healthcare teams use weight measurements to find signs of fluid buildup. A weight gain of more than two or three pounds in 24-hours or more than five pounds in a week is a common alert of worsening heart failure5.
SOZO goes beyond the scale to measure fluid changes in the body. Using SOZO, your healthcare team can track fluid changes that may not be visible with weight alone.
Information provided by SOZO
| SOZO Metric | Description |
| Total Body Water (TBW) | All of the fluid in a person’s body. |
| Extracellular Fluid (ECF) | All of the fluid outside of the cells. This mostly is blood plasma and fluid between organs. |
| Intracellular Fluid (ICF) | All of the fluid inside of cells. This is the majority of fluid in health adults. |
| HF-Dex™ Heart Failure Index | The percent of a person’s fluid that is outside of cells. |
How SOZO Works
The SOZO device is used to measure your fluid volumes. It looks like a scale, but it has places for you to put your hands and feet. You will not feel the SOZO test and it only takes 30 seconds* to complete.
Steps for SOZO Test
- Remove metal jewelry, watches, and electronic devices
- Take off shoes and socks
- Make sure your hands and feet are clean
- Your healthcare provider may dampen your hands and feet with a cloth
- Step on the SOZO device and make sure your feet touch the silver plates
- Place your hands on SOZO and make sure they are flat and touch the silver plates for hands
- Do not move while the test is running
Heart Failure Resources
If you or someone you know has heart failure, then you know how hard it can be to manage. The good news is that the more you know about it, the more you can do to manage your symptoms and maintain your quality of life. Contact your healthcare team with any questions.
References
- Savarese, G. and L.H. Lund, Global Public Health Burden of Heart Failure. Card Fail Rev, 2017. 3(1): p. 7-11.
- Desai AS. Home monitoring heart failure care does not improve patient outcomes: looking beyond telephone-based disease management. Circulation. 2012;125(6):828-836.
- Dharmarajan, K., et al., Diagnoses and timing of 30-day readmissions after hospitalization for heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, or pneumonia. JAMA 2013. 309(4): p. 355-63.
- Desai, A.S. and L.W. Stevenson, Rehospitalization for heart failure: predict or prevent? Circulation, 2012. 126(4): p. 501-6.
- American Heart Association webpage: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-failure/warning-signs-of-heart-failure. Accessed June 14, 2021.
- Average fluid volume data are extracted from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
* As tested on Android