What Are The Eight Signs Of The Heart And Blood Vessels

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).

Symptoms of congestive heart failure consist of fatigue, dependent edema, fluid build-up in the lungs, increase in urination because of the extra fluid, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite (Fundukian, 2011).  Diagnosis of CHF is done first by physical examination, such as heart rate, and heart sounds or murmurs. If a physician believes more tests are needed, common ones include an electrocardiogram or chest x-ray to detect previous heart attacks, arrhythmia, or heart enlargement, and echocardiogram using ultrasound to image the heart muscle, valves, and blood flow patterns. The physician may also want to do a heart catheterization, to allow the arteries of the heart to be visualized using angiography. Upon getting a diagnosis of CHF, the physician will usually start with asking the patient to change things in their diet, such going to a low sodium diet. They may also want to prescribe medications. Types of medications could include angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which block formation of angiotensin II hormone, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) to block the action of angiotensin II at the receptor site, and diuretics, just to name a few (Fundukian, 2011).

The most common type of heart disease is called coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease develops when the arteries narrow and become hard. The heart cannot receive all the blood it needs through the stiff narrow arteries. Symptoms include pressure and chest pain or squeezing in the chest which is also known as angina. Angina should be understood as a warning sign and that the sufferer is at an increased risk of a heart attack. When blood is blocked from getting to the heart for more than twenty minutes the result is a heart attack. The symptoms of a heart attack can be less dramatic than what television portrays. The Clutching of the chest and falling to the floor is not what women should expect. The common signs for women to look for are heartburn, loss of appetite, feeling tired or weak, shortness of breath, nausea, and pain in the back, neck or jaw. Women should not hesitate to call for help should they experience these symptoms. It is important that women do not let shame or embarrassment keep them from taking action to insure their safety.

Some symptoms include chest discomfort, coughing, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, pressure, dizziness, shortness of breath, yellowing, restlessness and sweat spells. Some causes of a heart

Coronary artery disease affects the circulatory system. Chemically, this disease develops when blood vessels that are necessary for living become badly damaged. Cholesterol plaques become inflamed in the arteries. The most common signs and symptoms are chest pains which tighten the chest as if someone were standing on it. Shortening of breath also affects those with this disease because the heart is unable to supply enough blood. A major sign of this disease is having a heart attack. This indicates an artery that is completely blocked. This disease is caused by damaging the coronary arteries by smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. To diagnose this disease, medical physicians will perform physical exams and examine blood

Congestive Heart Failure, also known as "cardiac decompensation, cardiac insufficiency, and cardiac incompetence," (Basic Nursing 1111) is an imbalance in pump function in which the heart is failing and unable to do its work pumping enough blood to meet the needs of the body's other organs. To some people, heart failure is defined as a sudden and complete stoppage of heart activity—i.e. that the heart just stops beating. This is an inaccuracy. Heart failure usually develops slowly, often over years, as the heart gradually loses its pumping ability and works less efficiently. CHF is a syndrome that affects individuals in different ways and to different degrees. It is usually a chronic disease. It gradually

As a result of Congestive Heart Failure, individuals experience a plethora of symptoms, which can take a substantial toll on the human body. Primary symptoms of CHF are dyspnea, fatigue, edema, and chest pains (Heart Failure Symptoms). The most dominant indications are dyspnea and edema. Dyspnea usually occurs in a recumbent position, causing fluid to relax and build up in the lungs (Heart Failure Symptoms). Edema transpires when the individual is generally in an upward position, allowing the fluid to drain towards the legs and ankles, causing swelling (Heart Failure Symptoms). If symptoms persist, it is an implication of worsening heart failure (Heart Failure Symptoms).

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

The body needs a certain amount of cardiac output to maintain its basic functions. In congestive heart failure the body needs more output than the heart can put out. To make up for the lack of cardiac output, the heart sends all of its output to the essential organs such as the brain and lungs. It neglects to send as much blood to the extremities. This is why in congestive heart failure patents, edema is usually present. Fatigue results from the heart having to work extra hard to send blood to only a few essential organs. This is why fatigue is considered the first symptom of congestive heart failure. Congestive Heart Disease can happen on either side of the heart, or it can effect both sides. When the heart cannot keep up with what the body needs capillary pressure increases. When this capillary pressure increases it causes sodium to build up, and the body does not excrete the

Heart failure is when the heart cannot keep up with the immense demands placed on it by the body, and it starts to compensate causing remodeling of the cardiac cells due to stronger cardiac contractions. The heart chambers expand so they can fill with more blood to pump to the rest of the body, and the heart rate will increase to meet these demands (American Heart Association, 2015). Heart failure is the inability of the heart to fill and pump effectively enough to meet the metabolic demands of the body resulting in pulmonary and venous congestion (Lam et al., 2007). Over time the body can no longer compensate, and the person becomes symptomatic and progresses into worsening heart failure. The pulmonary and venous congestion or “fluid overload” will manifest itself in the form of lower extremity edema, shortness of breath, fatigue and even chest pain, which interferes with quality of life (Colucci, 2015).

Signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure can range from mild to severe. They also can be associated with many other disease processes making congestive heart failure harder to diagnose. Even most doctors have to run numerous amounts of tests to confirm the diagnosis without 100% certainty. Patients may present with shortness of breath, rales (fluid in lungs), peripheral or pulmonary edema, dizziness, fatigue, dyspnea on exertion, rapid and excess weight gain, jugular venous distention, reduced ejection fraction, severe hypertension or hypotension, and failed stress tests (Drug Store News, 1997). These symptoms are not specific enough for a clear diagnosis so additional testing is usually

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 is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes too weak to maintain an adequate cardiac output to meet the body’s

A person's symptoms can provide important clues to the presence of heart failure. (Cadwallader p. 1143). Some of these include: JVD, SOB, frequent coughing when lying down, edema, acites, fatigue, syncope, vertigo, and sudden death. (Cadwallader p. 1142).

     Heart attack occurs when a blood clot suddenly and completely blocks a diseased coronary artery, resulting in the death of the heart muscle cells supplied by that artery. Coronary and Coronary Thrombosis 2 are terms that can refer to a heart attack. Another term, Acute Myocardial Infarction 2, means death of heart muscle due to an inadequate blood supply.