Cardiologists tend to like “quick fixes,” like opening a clogged vessel with a balloon. But treating heart failure takes time, determination, and old-fashioned perseverance — all things that are in short supply these days.

Traditionally, doctors have shortchanged patients by not following the guidelines established by the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the Heart Failure Society of America.

Recently, a UCLA research team decided to see if this had changed, so they looked at how patients are being treated now, compared to several years ago.

They found that the vast majority of heart failure patients (27 to 67 percent) are still not being prescribed the right combination of medications. And when they are, the dosages are too low.

This is tragic, because proper heart failure treatment saves lives. I have had patients with heart failure enjoy active lives in their 80s, 90s, and even beyond.

So if you have heart failure, you need to be proactive and certain you are getting the proper care.