Intermountain Press Release

Salt Lake City—Do you suffer from constant fatigue or weakness? Do you experience shortness of breath when you exert yourself? Do you have swelling in your legs, ankles, and feet? Do you have a persistent cough or wheezing? Do you have an irregular or rapid heartbeat?

If you experience some of these symptoms, you may want to call February's Deseret Morning News/Intermountain Healthcare hotline. The focus of the free hotline will be heart failure.

Heart failure is an increasing health problem in the United States. It's estimated that heart failure affects at least five million Americans, with about 550,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

Participants in the health hotline are cardiologist A.G. Kfoury from the LDS Hospital Heart Failure Prevention and Treatment Program, and Jennifer Connolly, a nurse practitioner in the program.

Callers can dial the toll-free hotline at 1-800-925-8177 from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, February 10. The health hotline is a free monthly community service provided by Intermountain Healthcare and the Deseret Morning News. A different topic is featured each month. Callers do not need to identify themselves and all calls are strictly confidential.

Intermountain Healthcare is a community-owned system of nonprofit hospitals and clinics that provides medical care to residents of Utah and Idaho. Intermountains physicians, nurses and other caregivers are recognized national leaders in providing high quality care, regardless of patients' ability to pay.