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Heart Failure
What is it?
Heart
failure, also called left ventricular dysfunction, is a
condition in which the heart muscle does not pump adequately. As a
result, blood is not dispersed adequately to the body and fluid backs up into the lungs, causing "congestion.
In some patients,
heart failure occurs suddenly, while in other cases it develops gradually. As
heart function deteriorates over the years, the strength of muscle contractions
may be reduced. In other cases, mechanical problems may affect the ability of
heart chambers to fill with blood, so that less blood is pumped out to tissues
in the body. In other cases, the pumping chambers enlarge and fill with too much
blood. The weakened heart muscle may not be strong enough to pump out all of the
blood it receives. There are also cases where the heart enlargement affects the
functioning of the valves that usually stop blood from flowing backwards into
the heart chamber it just left. This condition, called regurgitation, may make
the heart failure even worse.
When the heart
cannot efficiently pump blood into the arteries, the blood backs up into the
lungs and the resulting fluid collection is responsible for the congestion and
breathing difficulties. Blood may also collect in veins, especially in the lower
extremities, and cannot circulate into tissues.
In most patients,
heart failure is controllable. With appropriate care, people may live for many
years after the diagnosis is made.
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What is it?
