What Is Heart Failure?

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

Left-sided heart failure is the most common type of heart failure, and it is a result of left-ventricular dysfunction. This disease poses a significant threat to patients because the primary function of the left side of the heart is to provide sufficient oxygenated blood to satisfy the metabolic demands of the body’s cells. Understanding the main function of this portion of the heart will help with the understanding of other complications associated with this diseased. Left-sided heart failure is usually the result of the loss of heart muscle function, specifically in the left ventricle secondary to coronary artery disease, prolonged hypertension, or myocardial infection (Lewis et al. 2014, 766). The

It because the heart has weak or damaged ventricular walls that are not able to push enough blood into the body (Congestive Heart Failure Symptoms). Or perhaps it is because the ventricular walls are stiff therefore, the heart does not fill with enough blood. If a person has a left sided heart failure the left ventricle doesn’t deliver enough oxygenated blood full of rich nutrients to the body which causes the person to feel tired and out of breath. The left ventricle also increases the blood pressure in the blood vessels between the lungs and the left ventricle. This increases pressure and forces fluid out of your blood and into your lung tissues, which makes it difficult to breathe. If someone has right-sided heart failure he is unable to contract with enough force to send the blood to the lungs in consequence blood builds up in the veins, throughout the tissues in the body which is called edema. Over time the heart failure on either side of the heart results in weakened and enlarged ventricles resulting in less blood pumping to the body. To make up for the decreased amount of blood the nervous system sends out stress hormones that increase the speed and force of the heartbeat. Unfortunately, the continued release of these hormones makes the heart failure worse because they damage the muscle cells in the ventricles (Moore). The common cause of heart failure is

Diastolic heart failure or diastolic dysfunction is when the left ventricle does not relax normally. This pushes the heart to pump too quickly, permitting the heart from filling the chamber with enough blood during the resting period betweens beats (Types of Heart Failure). Right-sided heart failure is usually a consequence of left-sided heart failure. When the heart loses its main source of pumping power, the right side of the heart is affected by blood being pushed into the veins of the body causing swelling. These heart conditions can be ongoing or they can start abruptly which can have a huge impact on the body (Types of Heart Failure).

With left-sided heart failure a patient can suffer from fluid in the lungs, shortness of breath and pulmonary edema, and fatigue. Since the heart can not pump the adequate amount of blood to the rest of the body, there is a lack of oxygen in the body and this results in fatigue. Left-sided heart failure causes an increase in pressure within the vessels in the lungs, which can lead to an accumulation of fluid within the lungs, which leads to shortness of breath and pulmonary edema. There is a wide variety of causes of left-sided heart failure with include consuming too much alcohol, suffering from a heart attack, infections of the heart muscle, increased blood pressure, hypothyroidism, narrow heart valves, and any disease that can cause damage to the heart muscle. Left-sided heart failure in children is often caused by birth defects including abnormal

Heart failure, HF, is a result of one’s heart inefficiently pumping blood out to the body (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper and Bucher, 2014, p.766). A healthy heart will pump blood out of the left and right ventricles rhythmically and simultaneously, creating an even flow of blood from the heart to the pulmonary arteries and the aorta (Lewis et al., 2014, p.769). Someone with heart failure has a ventricular dysfunction in either one or both ventricles; the ventricles are not filling or contracting properly. The failure of one ventricle to properly function leads to an overcompensation of the opposite ventricle as well as a disruption in normal blood flow that leads

Right-sided heart failure consists of the heart unable to pump blood to the lungs. This can cause right ventricular hypertrophy, and fluid will start to back up into the body causing edema where gravity determines. Lying down may cause edema in the buttocks and flank areas but most commonly people see edema in their ankles and legs along with increase weight gain over short periods of time. This type of congestive heart failure is still very important and should be seen by a physician to prevent further problems, because patients with right sided heart failure are at high risk for left sided heart failure.

Congestive Heart Failure is a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the needs of the rest of the body (Department of Health & Human Services, 2012). The failure can occur in on either side of the heart. In left-side heart failure, fluid backs up into the lungs, causing shortness of breath, due to the fact that the blood entering the left side of the heart comes from the pulmonary artery, and when the left ventricle cannot pump fluid out of the heart or when the left atrium cannot empty completely into the ventricle it backs up into the lungs. In right-side heart failure, fluid can back up into the abdomen, legs, and feet, causing swelling. The blood being pumped into the right

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).

Right sided heart failure is often times a response to left sided heart failure. When the left side of the heart has failed, the blood backs up into the lungs due to a decrease in output so the blood then backs up into the right side of the heart causing problems with it too. Heart failure in the right ventricle comes from it not being able to eject an adequate amount of blood into the pulmonary system (Huether and McCance, 2012).

The heart’s moves oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the left atrium onto the left ventricle which then pumps it to the rest of the body. The left ventricle generates the heart’s pumping power therefore it is larger than the other chambers. In left-sided heart failure, the left side of the heart works harder to pump the same amount of blood that is normally pumped. There are two types of left-sided heart failure- the systolic and the diastolic. In systolic failure, the left ventricle is not able to normally contract and the heart cannot push enough blood into the circulation. In systolic failure, the left ventricle is not able to relax because the muscle has become stiff. As a result, the heart cannot properly fill with blood during resting period between each beat. Right-sided heart failure is another type of heart failure that results from the failure of the left-side. The heart’s pumping action moves blood that returns to the heart though the veins through the right atrium and then onto the right ventricle which pumps the blood back out of the heart into the lungs to be replenished with oxygen. When the left ventricle

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.

Shortness of breath noted during activity (most commonly) or at rest, especially when you lie down flat in bed

other. If the left side fails, pulmonary congestion occurs. The right side of the heart continues to

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