Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive Heart Failure – General Information

The Congestive Heart Failure (abbreviated CHF and also known as simply heart failure) is the medical condition in which the heart does not have the power to pump enough blood to the internal organs. The reason for the development of the Congestive Heart Failure can be one of the following:

• High blood pressure
• Heart valve disease which is due to past rheumatic fever or other reasons
• Narrowed arteries which supply the heart muscle with blood – this is also known as coronary artery disease.
• Past heart attack
• Myocardial infarction with scar tissues
• Congenital heart defects
• Infection of the heart valves
• Infection of the heart muscle -  which is known as myocarditis or endocarditis
• Primary disease of the heart muscle which is called cardiomyopathy

The heart which suffers from this medical disorder keeps functioning but not as it did before, and the people with heart failure usually are short of breath and always tired.
Because the blood flow out of the heart slows and the blood returning to the heart backs up, this leads to the appearance of congestion in the tissues and in many cases also the swelling (also known as edema) develops. In the majority of cases there can appear swelling in the legs, ankles and other parts of the body. In other cases fluids can collect in the lungs making the breathing difficult. The Congestive Heart Failure can also affect the kidney’s, meaning that the kidney’s are not able to dispose of water and sodium.
There are two types of heart failure as following:

• Systolic heart failure – when the power of the heart to pump the blood is reduced.
• Diastolic heart failure – when the heart is pumping normally the blood, but is stiff.

Congestive Heart Failure – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Congestive Heart Failure) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from Congestive Heart Failure or from any other medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who suffers from Congestive Heart Failure, may experience, although it is also well known that the symptoms vary from person to person:

• Fatigue – which is the early symptom of a heart failure
• The patient’s ability to make exercises is diminished
• Swelling (also known as edema) of the ankles, legs and abdomen
• Shortness of breath
• Increased urination particularly at night
• Nausea
• Abdominal pain
• Decreased appetite
• Cough
• Exercise intolerance
• Fluid retention
• Liver failure
• Kidney failure
• Swelling of the abdominal wall, abdominal cavity, scrotum and hips
• Weakness
• Rapid heartbeat
• Irregular heart beat
• Weight gain due to the fluid retention
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Sudden fluid build-up
• Chest pain – appears in the case of a heart attack
• Wheezing
• Mental confusion
• Impaired thinking
• The heart grows larger
• The heart pumps faster
• The blood vessels become narrowed
• Pale, blue or cool skin
• Fainting without reason
• Liver enlargement
• Spleen enlargement
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Weight loss due to the Nausea
• Tiring easy
• Bloating
• Some of the patients may even wake up at night feeling breathless

Congestive Heart Failure – Treatment

After establishing the diagnostic of Congestive Heart Failure, the doctor will recommend the patient a treatment program which includes the following:

• Rest
• Reduce stress
• A proper diet
• Quitting smoking
• Avoid or limit the alcohol intake
• Avoid or limit caffeine
• If the patient is overweight, he may be advised to loose weight
• A modification in the daily activities
• And drugs such as:

• Beta blockers – these drugs usually are used in order to improve the pumping of the heart’s left chamber.
• Diuretics – these drugs help the organism to eliminate the excess of water and salt
• Digitals – these drugs are used to increase the pumping action
• Vasodilators - these drugs decrease the resistance of the blood vessels and expand them.
• Angiotensin – Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (also abbreviated as ACE) – these drugs decrease the resistance of the blood vessels and expand them, making the blood to flow easily and help the heart to work more efficient and also easy.
• Spironolactone – this is a potassium sparing diuretic which is used to improve the survival in persons who suffer from sever Congestive Heart Failure.
• Digoxin – is one of the digitals, and it is used in order to strength and increases the heart’s muscle contractions and in some cases to slow the heart beats. This drug also reduces the symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure.
• Nesiritide – this drug is a synthetic copy of the hormone B-type natiuretic peptide which is produced by the human body and it is also used in people who are suffering from a severe heart failure.

When the cause of the Congestive Heart Failure is known, then the treatment is based on correcting the underlying cause: when the heart failures are caused by high blood pressure, then the doctor will prescribe a treatment which will improve the blood pressure, or if the heart failure has as an underlying cause an abnormal heart valve, that valve can be replaced through surgery.
If the heart becomes drastically damaged after a Congestive Heart Failure, then the patient and his doctor should take into consideration a heart transplant.
Other surgical options include the followings:

• Coronary Bypass Surgery  - this is used in the cases in which the patients in which this disease is related to severely narrowed coronary arteries
• Heart Pumps – it is a mechanical device (which is called left ventricular assist device) which is implanted into the abdomen. This device is usually used in patients who have a weakened heart, in order to help the hurt to pump the blood.
• Biventricular Cardiac Pacemaker – these devices send electrical impulses to the heart’s lower chambers at a specific interval of time.
• Defibrillators – these are used in patients who have arrhythmias which are life threatening.
• Myectomy – this is a surgical procedure, in which the doctor removes the overgrown part of the heart muscle in order to make the blood flow normal. This procedure is used in the cases in which the medication proved to be ineffective.