Left Side Heart Failure

Heart failure may convey that the heart isn’t working anymore, but what it really means is that the heart isn’t pumping as well as it should be (REF). Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood through to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen (REF). At first, the heart tries to make up for this by enlarging, developing more muscle mass, and pumping faster. As this happens, the blood vessels narrow to keep blood pressure up and the body diverts blood away from less important tissues and organs to maintain flow to the heart and brain (REF). Eventually, the body and heart cannot keep up and the patient begins to feel fatigue, breathing problems, weight gain with swelling in the feet, legs, ankles or stomach, and other symptoms that eventually leads to a hospital visit. The body’s coping mechanisms give us better understanding on why many are unaware of their condition until years after the heart declines (REF).

After a period of time, the heart muscles of the left ventricle begin to weaken. The weakening of the left ventricle will lead to decreased empting of the heart (systolic heart failure) which results in decreased cardiac output again. Since the left ventricle does not empty completely, blood begins to back up into the left atrium and then to the pulmonary circulation thus resulting in pulmonary congestion and dyspnea (Story 2012, 104). If left untreated, the blood will back up and affect the right side of the heart causing biventricular heart failure (both right and left heart failure). In right sided heart failure, the right ventricle weakens and cannot empty completely. This incomplete emptying causes blood to back up into the systemic circulation causing systemic edema (Lewis et al. 2014, 771).

To understand the signs and symptoms of left-sided versus right-sided heart failure, remember that left-sided signs and symptoms are found in the lungs. Left begins with L, as does lung. Any signs and symptoms not related to the lungs are caused by right-sided failure (Williams and Hopper). Some signs and symptoms of heart failure are shortness of breath (dyspnea), fatigue, chronic cough or wheezing, rapid or irregular heartbeat, lack of appetite or nausea, mental confusion or impaired thinking, fluid buildup and swelling, and rapid weight gain, and the need to urinate more at night. In order to determine heart failure the physician will do a diagnostic test which includes a chest x-ray, echocardiogram, ejection fraction (EF), and electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG).

In right sided heart failure, fluid builds up in the veins and tissues, causing swelling of the lower extremities and the abdomen. When body tissues fail to get the oxygen and the nutrients they require, they begin to lose their efficiency, causing increased dizziness and fatigue.

Exertional dyspnoea and fatigue are the most common symptoms. These are caused by a left-to-right shunt, when the connection between the two atria allows blood to pass from the left side of the heart to the right. This occurs because the pressure in the left side of the heart is naturally higher than the right. The extra blood from the left atrium overloads the right atrium and the right ventricle, causing right heart dilation, and subsequent heart failure (5). If left untreated, patients can develop reversal of the ASD, resulting in a right to left shunt; this is known as Eisenmenger’s syndrome. Other complications include atrial tachyarrhythmias or stroke (21, 22).

Heart failure describes the heart’s inability to function properly, meaning the heart is unable to pump efficiently throughout the body. Thus causing the heart to work extra hard in order to compensate the body’s needs, but this ultimately leads to failure. And due to Mrs. Harris’s hypertension and alcohol consumption, she is now displaying signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure, as both are major risk factors. Heart failure can be seen in the left side, which is also known as congestive heart failure, and the right side of heart. The left side is typically the first side to fail, as the left ventricle is the heart’s largest chamber and the most powerful.

The left side of the heart delivers blood to the rest of the body, whereas the right side of the heart delivers blood to the lungs.

The left ventricle (left sided heart failure) does not empty properly because the heart cannot efficiently pump the blood out of the heart into the body. This leads to increased pressure in the atria (upper chambers) and as a result the blood in the heart gets backed up. This backlog of blood affects the kidneys – interfering with their function and leading to fluid retention (oedema) in the lungs, abdominal

Because the left ventricle is most often affected by coronary atherosclerosis and hypertension, Heart Failure usually begins there. If untreated, the condition progresses to right-sided

On the right side the flow of blood enters the heart through the inferior and superior vena cava that throws out the poor oxygen blood to the right atrium. On the left side of the heart the pulmonary veins takes action that dumps the rich oxygen blood that is coming from the lungs to the left atrium. This has both sides of the heart working together. When it comes to the atrial contraction, the right side makes the blood flow to the right atrium to the right ventricle to the tricuspid valve. Once the ventricles fill up completely, that is when the tricuspid valves shut closed. This is to prevent the blood from going backwards to the atria, making the ventricles squeeze together. The left side of the atrial contraction makes the blood flow from

t-sided heart failure (also seen in advanced stages of heart failure related to left atrial myxoma) 1

The myocardium becomes ischemic, coronary sinus blood pH falls, cellular potassium is lost, lactate accumulates, ECG abnormalities appear, and ventricular function (both systolic and diastolic) deteriorates. Left ventricular (LV) diastolic pressure usually increases during angina, sometimes inducing pulmonary congestion and dyspnea. The exact mechanism by which ischemia causes discomfort is unclear but may involve nerve stimulation by hypoxic

Heart failure can be caused by many different types of problems in the heart.1-3,5,7-8,11 We all know that the heart itself is responsible for the movement of fluids in the body. And that if the heart fails to function properly, the whole body can be affected in many ways. Heart failure may affect the right side or the left side of the heart.1-3,7-8,11 Hydrostatic pulmonary edema is known as cardiogenic pulmonary

side of the heart pumps oxygen-poor blood from the cells of the body back to the

In order to move blood and wastes the heart acts as a double sided pump creating a never ending circuit. The right side receives deoxygenated blood from the body and forces it into the lungs so that it can become oxygenated. While the left side is precisely the opposite as it receives the blood that was sent to the lungs by the right and pushes it to the body so that our tissues such as muscles can obtain oxygen. If you think about it the heart is like a fast food chain, the right side obtains the food from the lungs and the left