The Canadian Heart And Stroke Foundation Defines 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).

The prevalence of congestive heart failure is on the increase both in the United States and all over the world, and it is the leading cause of hospitalization in the elderly population. Congestive heart failure is a progressive disease generally seen in the elderly, which if not properly managed, can lead to repeated hospital admissions or death. Heart failure means that the heart muscle is weakened. A weakened heart muscle may not be strong enough to pump an adequate amount of blood out of its chambers. To compensate for its diminished pumping capacity, the heart may enlarge. Commonly, the heart's pumping inefficiency causes a buildup of blood in the

Heart failure can be attributed to either right sided, left or both. Left-sided heart failure is of two types, systolic failure and diastolic failure. Systolic failure is the when the left ventricle loses its ability to contract normally. The heart cannot pump with enough force to push enough blood into circulation. Diastolic failure is when the left ventricle loses its ability to relax normally. Which results in the heart not being able to fill with blood during the resting period. Both result in a decrease in cardiac output. (AHA, 2012). A decrease in the cardiac output into the systemic circulation causes blood to accumulate in the left ventricle, left atrium, and pulmonary circulation. This increase

Situation: Two patients in their 70s present to the office at different times today, each with documented heart failure: one diastolic and the other systolic, and both are hypertensive. First, discuss the difference between systolic and diastolic heart failure, providing appropriate pathophysiology. ACEI/ARBs are the only medications prescribed for CHF that have been found to prolong life and improve the quality of that life. EXPLAIN the mechanism of action of ACEI/ARBs and how they affect morbidity and mortality in CHF. Be specific. Diuretics must be used very carefully in diastolic ventricular dysfunction. EXPLAIN this statement using appropriate physiology. Now considering all of the above, describe an appropriate comprehensive plan of

CHF can be caused by many different reasons. Sometimes CHF can be a heart defect or can be caused by unhealthy lifestyles. “CHF is an ongoing condition in which the heart muscle is weakened and can’t pump as well as it normally does” (Congestive Heart Failure). When the heart becomes too weak to continue to pump blood throughout the body, it is called Congestive Heart Failure. When CHF first

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition that occurs when the heart is unable to pump blood with enough force to circulate it throughout the body (VanMeter &

Congestive Heart Failure is when the heart's pumping power is weaker than normal. It does not mean the heart has stopped working. The blood moves through the heart and body at a slower rate, and pressure in the heart increases. This means; the heart cannot pump enough oxygen and nutrients to meet the body's needs. The chambers of the heart respond by stretching to hold more blood to pump through the body or by becoming more stiff and thickened. This only keeps the blood moving for a short while. The heart muscle walls weaken and are unable to pump as strongly. This makes the kidneys respond by causing the body to retain fluid and sodium. When the body builds up with fluids, it becomes congested. Many conditions can cause heart

Approximately 2-3 million Americans, more than one percent of the population, are currently affected by this medical problem with numbers increasing frequently (Drug Store News, 1997). Congestive heart failure tends to be more common in the elderly, men, and also African Americans. Congestive heart failure has become the most common cause for current hospital admissions. Among causing prolonged hospital stays congestive heart failure has a very high mortality rate, which has declined since recent medical advancements.

Congestive heart failure describes the inability or failure (chronic, progressive condition) of the heart to adequately meet the needs of organs and tissues for oxygen and nutrients. This decrease in cardiac output, the amount of blood that the heart pumps, is not adequate to circulate the blood returning to the heart from the body and lungs, causing fluid (mainly water) to leak from capillary blood vessels. This leads to the symptoms that may include shortness of breath, weakness, and swelling. Many disease processes can impair the pumping efficiency of the heart to cause congestive heart failure. In the United States, the most common causes of congestive heart failure are:

Congestive heart failure is an older name for heart failure. Congestive heart failure takes place when the heart is unable to maintain an adequate circulation of blood in the bodily tissues or to pump out the venous blood returned to it by the veins (Merriam-Webster). The heart is split into two distinct pumping structures, the right side of the heart and the left side of the heart. Appropriate cardiac performance involves each ventricle to extract even quantities of blood over intervals. If the volume of blood reimbursed to the heart develops more than both ventricles can manage, the heart can no longer be an efficient pump.

Heart failure (HF) is a chronic, progressive condition defined as the hearts inability to efficiently pump an adequate amount of blood to meet the demands of the body (Naab, 2011). Heart failure may be the result of the heart chambers not adequately filling, also known as diastolic HF or the decreased contractility of the valves to perfuse blood to the body, also known as systolic HF. “Heart Failure is a progressive disease which arises as a consequence of an abnormality in cardiac structure, function, rhythm or conduction” (Naab, 2011).

Congestive heart failure is a health condition pertaining to the inefficiency of the pumping of the heart. Congestive heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood supply to the rest of the body (Heart failure fact sheet, 2016). It is necessary for blood to circulate throughout the body in order to maintain bodily function. However, when blood is unable to exit the heart, it begins to collect in the chambers. This is the indication of congestive heart failure, the accumulation of fluids in the heart will result in critical health issues that demand immediate medical attention. Congestive heart failure is a chronic condition, it can be developed overtime accompanied with reoccurring signs and symptoms (Mosterd, A., & Hoes

I. Description: Congestive Heart Failure is more of a syndrome than a disease. Heart failure may be classified according to the side of the heart affected, (left- or right-sided failure), or by the cardiac cycle involved, (systolic or diastolic dysfunction). (Schilling-McCann p. 176). The word "failure" refers to the heart's inability to pump enough blood to meet the body's metabolic needs. (Schilling-McCann p. 176). When the heart fails to deliver adequate blood supply edema may develop. (Cadwallader p. 1141). Where edema occurs depends on what side of the heart is failing.

Heart failure occurs when structural or functional cardiac disorders cause one or both ventricles of the heart not to pump effectively to meet the demands of the body (Lopez-Pazos, et al., 2011). Some symptoms of heart failure include: dyspnea on exertion, cough, fatigue, edema/weight gain, chest pain, palpitations, right upper abdominal pain or fullness, orthopnea, hemoptysis, bibasilar crackles, nocturnal dyspnea, pallor, cyanosis, tachycardia, weakness, exercise intolerance, murmur, S3 gallop, and hepatomegaly (Cash & Glass, 2014).

Almost 6 million Americans are living with heart failure, and over 900,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Heart failure isn’t as bad as it sounds, it does not mean your heart has failed or stopped beating. It means that your heart, a muscle that pumps blood to the different parts of your body, is not working as well as it should be and it cannot pump as much blood as your body needs. As your heart's pumping action lessens, blood may clog in your lungs, liver, or legs. This can cause shortness of breath, leg swelling (it is called