More and more doctors are recommending lift chairs to their patients to alleviate symptoms of medical conditions. In particular, the three health conditions described below can sometimes be alleviated, at least in part, by the use of an infinite position lift chair. These special and versatile lift chairs allow the user to achieve the Trendelenburg position, in which the feet is elevated above the heart.

Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure is a serious heart condition that takes the lives of nearly 300,000 people each year in the United States. It is the most common diagnosed condition in individuals over the age of 65 with 550,000 new cases each year. This serious condition occurs when the heart fails in pumping enough blood to sustain the body. This often results from other physical conditions that have weakened or damaged the heart. When this occurs, the heart fails to properly pump blood throughout the body. Because of this, blood begins to back up, congesting the lower extremities, lungs, abdomen and liver. There are effective treatments for congestive heart disease that often provide good results. These include heart surgery, if congestive heart failure is due to damage of the heart and medications such as vasodilators, beta-blockers and diuretics. Devices can also be implanted that keep the heart beating properly. If the heart is severely damaged and cannot be repaired, a heart transplant may be required. Extensive medical research continues on studying possible new treatments for congestive heart failure. These include new medications that can strengthen the heart?s defense system, implanting devices beneath the skin to prevent leaky heart valves and the study of new devices to assist the pumping of the left ventricle. Artificial hearts are also being studied to replace one or both sides of the heart.

Edema

When fluid becomes trapped within the tissues of the body, the tissues will swell resulting in edema. This condition is commonly seen in the ankles, feet, legs, arms and hands although it can affect other parts of the body as well. Edema is common in congestive heart failure when the lungs, abdomen and liver become backed up with blood. Physiologically, edema occurs when the capillaries in the body begin to leak fluid. This can be a result of damage to the capillaries or an increase of pressure on the capillaries. It can also occur if the levels of serum albumin proteins decrease in the blood. As the body becomes aware that the capillaries are leaking fluid, the kidneys will react by retaining more water and sodium. This occurs to compensate for fluids that are being lost in the capillaries. As this occurs, more fluid is produced, causing more leakage of the capillaries. As the capillaries leak more fluid, edema results. Edema can be caused from consuming too much salt, sitting for too long, pregnancy and menstruation. It can also be due to certain medications such as estrogens and vasodilators. Changes in lifestyle can often improve edema such as reducing salt intake or exercise. When causes of edema are due to congestive heart failure or cirrhosis, the cause must be treated as well as the use of diuretics. Research studies for reducing edema of the lower extremities and liver is underway using the Norma Tec Pump. This device rapidly decreases edema with the use of compression sleeves that are placed around the legs to rhythmically inflate and deflate, pushing fluids from the legs and increasing renal and cardiac output.

Hypotension

Hypotension is the medical term for low blood pressure. Although low blood pressure is often strived for, some people suffer from seriously low blood pressure causing them to faint or become dizzy. Blood pressure can also drop dramatically low, becoming life threatening. When systolic blood pressure (top number) goes below 90 or when the diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) goes below 60, it is considered hypotension. Low blood pressure can result from serious medical conditions or can occur from dehydration. Heart conditions such as congestive heart failure as well as other cardiac disorders can cause hypotension due to improper blood flow throughout the body. Vitamin B-12 and folic acid deficiencies can also cause hypotension as well as thyroid problems and certain medications. Treatment involves finding the underlying cause and treating it as well as treating the hypotension with medications, wearing compression stockings, adding more salt to the diet and drinking more water. Numerous studies are underway to find more effective medications to treat hypotension. Researchers are also studying a breathing device that may help prevent hypotension in patients who experience a severe drop in blood pressure when standing up.

If you suffer from any of the aforementioned medical conditions, ask your doctor if the unique capabilities of our infinite position lift chairs would help you. The answer you receive might surprise you!