Heart failure means the heart is not pumping as efficiently as it should, which causes breathlessness, fatigue and fluid retention. Dr Gosia Wamil provides specialist heart failure assessment and long-term management in London, focused on getting the right diagnosis and the right treatment early.
Heart failure is a description, not a single disease, and the underlying cause changes the treatment. Dr Wamil assesses symptoms and history and arranges an echocardiogram, ECG, blood tests including natriuretic peptides, and where needed cardiac MRI to identify whether the problem is a weakened pump, a stiff muscle, valve disease, a rhythm problem or something reversible.
Ejection fraction describes how much blood the heart pumps out with each beat, and it guides therapy. An echocardiogram or cardiac MRI provides the measurement, along with information about the heart's chambers, valves and scarring. The number is only one part of the picture, and Dr Wamil explains what it means for you rather than quoting it without context.
For many patients with a reduced ejection fraction, modern treatment combines several medicines that work together to protect the heart, alongside diuretics for fluid and, in selected cases, devices such as an ICD or cardiac resynchronisation therapy. Where a specific cause is found — valve disease, coronary disease, an arrhythmia or an inherited cardiomyopathy — it is treated in its own right.
Day-to-day management matters as much as medication: monitoring weight and blood pressure, recognising early warning signs, staying active within safe limits, and reviewing fluid balance. Appointments are structured to review symptoms and treatment together, with clear instructions on when to contact the clinic and when to seek urgent help.
A heart attack is a sudden blockage of blood flow to the heart muscle. Heart failure is a longer-term condition in which the heart cannot pump or fill efficiently. A heart attack can damage the muscle and lead to heart failure later, which is one reason prompt treatment matters.
In most cases it is a long-term condition that can be managed very effectively, and many patients improve substantially with treatment. Some causes — such as a rhythm problem, thyroid disease or alcohol-related damage — can be corrected, and treatment can restore heart function in a proportion of patients.
In almost all cases yes, and staying active is part of treatment. The amount and type should be discussed with your cardiologist, particularly in the first weeks after diagnosis or after a change in medication.
Yes. Second opinions are a large part of her practice. Bring your recent reports and, where possible, the original scan images, as she can review the images herself and reassess whether the diagnosis and treatment are optimal.
Seek urgent help if you develop severe breathlessness at rest, breathlessness that wakes you, chest pain, fainting, or rapid weight gain from fluid within a few days. Call 999 for severe breathlessness, chest pain or loss of consciousness.
Consultations and investigations take place at Mayo Clinic Healthcare, 15 Portland Place, London W1B 1PT — close to Oxford Circus and Great Portland Street stations.
15 Portland Place, London W1B 1PT