HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – October 27, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –

Jeffrey G. Tauth, M.D., F.A.C.C., a board-certified interventional cardiologist with three decades of practice in central Arkansas, is encouraging adults with unexplained breathlessness, swelling, or fatigue to seek a cardiac evaluation sooner, following a new national report showing heart failure deaths rising sharply among younger and middle-aged Americans.

The report, HF Stats 2026, was released Oct. 5 by the Heart Failure Society of America and published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure. It found that crude heart failure death rates climbed 121 percent among adults ages 25 to 44 and 96 percent among adults ages 45 to 64 between 2001 and 2020. Heart failure contributed to more than 452,000 deaths in the United States in 2023, about 14.6 percent of all deaths that year.

Arkansas features prominently in the findings. The report identified Arkansas as one of four Southern states that repeatedly rank among the five states with the highest heart failure death rates in the country.

“Heart failure has long been thought of as a condition of older age, and this report shows that picture no longer holds,” said Dr. Tauth. “People in their forties and fifties tend to assume that getting short of breath or noticing swollen ankles just means they’re out of shape. Those symptoms deserve a closer look, and the earlier we look, the more options a patient has.”

In heart failure, a damaged or overworked heart falls behind the circulation the body requires. According to the report, approximately 7.7 million U.S. adults currently live with heart failure, and roughly a quarter of Americans are projected to develop it at some point in their lives. The report points to rising rates of obesity, high blood pressure, and other cardiometabolic conditions as major contributors.

Dr. Tauth noted that heart failure symptoms usually build gradually. Breathlessness during routine activity, swelling in the ankles or legs, and a decline in stamina over weeks or months are among the signs that warrant evaluation, particularly for adults who already have high blood pressure, diabetes, or a history of heart disease.

At Hot Springs Heart and Vascular, Dr. Tauth’s independent cardiology practice, a heart failure evaluation centers on identifying the underlying cause. Echocardiography, electrocardiography, and stress testing are performed in the clinic, which allows the practice to determine which form of heart failure is present and whether coronary artery disease, a rhythm disorder, or long-standing high blood pressure is driving it.

Treatment plans are built around that cause and around each patient’s symptoms. Patients who need cardiac catheterization or an implanted device, such as a pacemaker or defibrillator, undergo those procedures at the Vascular Center of Hot Springs, the outpatient cardiovascular surgical center the practice opened in spring 2026.

“Heart failure care today involves a lot more than a single prescription,” said Dr. Tauth. “It takes regular visits, careful medication adjustments, and a cardiologist who can see a patient quickly when something changes. That kind of steady follow-up is what our practice is set up to provide.”

The HFSA report also found that guideline-recommended heart failure medications remain underused across the country. Dr. Tauth said consistent follow-up with a cardiologist helps address that shortfall, since many of those medications start at low doses and are increased gradually over several visits.

Hot Springs Heart and Vascular cares for patients across the central and western parts of the state, including through its Mena clinic, and offers same-day appointments for patients whose symptoms are actively worsening.

For more information, visit Dr. Tauth’s website.

About Jeffrey G. Tauth, M.D., F.A.C.C.

Jeffrey G. Tauth, M.D., F.A.C.C., is a board-certified interventional cardiologist practicing in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He earned his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and completed his fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease. A Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Tauth has provided cardiovascular care to patients in Hot Springs and central Arkansas for more than 30 years. He is the founder of Hot Springs Heart and Vascular and the Vascular Center of Hot Springs, the first cardiovascular ambulatory surgical center in central Arkansas.

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For more information about Jeffrey Tauth, M.D., F.A.C.C., contact the company here:

Jeffrey Tauth, M.D., F.A.C.C.
Jeffrey Tauth, M.D., F.A.C.C.
501-767-4278
hotspringsheart@gmail.com
110 Crackerbox Ln, Hot Springs, AR 71913, United States

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