Congestive
Heart
Failure
Congestive heart
failure
is a condition in which the heart muscle is weakened and the pumping
function
of the heart decreases. Congestive heart failure doesn't mean
that
your heart has stopped - it just means that it is not working as
efficiently
to move blood through the body.
Certain conditions can
damage
the heart muscle so that the heart pumps with less force and as a
result
less blood moves with each contraction. Blood eventually backs up
into the lungs causing congestion. Since the blood is not being
pumped
effectively to the organs, less oxygen is being delivered and the
body's
tissues are not functioning optimally. An example is the kidneys,
which may not excrete urine as they should and excess fluid may settle
in different parts of the body.
Usually congestive
heart
failure is the result of another underlying problem such as coronary
artery
disease, heart attack, hypertension (high blood pressure), some type of
viral infection affecting the heart muscle, leaking of the heart valves
or a condition known as cardiomyopathy. In this condition there
is
a generalized weakness of the heart muscle with poor pumping ability
and
enlargement of the chambers of the heart.
The symptoms of
congestive
heart failure are varied depending on the underlying causes, which
chamber
of the heart is in failure, and the severity. These symptoms
include:
-
shortness of breath
when you
exert yourself
-
wheezing
-
coughing / congestion
-
weakness / fatigue
-
problems breathing
especially
at night while lying down
-
waking up at night
coughing
or gasping for breath
-
rapid heart beat
-
dizziness
-
swollen ankles or feet
The diagnosis of
congestive
heart failure is frequently made by evaluating patients' clinical
symptoms,
physical exam, EKG, and an ultrasound of the heart
(echocardiogram).
The treatment plan for congestive heart failure is designed to correct
the underlying problem and to alleviate some of your symptoms and make
you more comfortable so as to improve your activity tolerance and the
quality
of life. This would include medications to help your heart work
better
by improving the way it pumps and by relieving the congestion.
Some
of the commonly prescribed medications include:
-
Vasodilators (helps
blood flow
more easily, lowering your blood pressure and decreasing the workload
on
the heart)
-
Diuretics or "water
pills" (helps
to rid your body of excess water that may have collected in the lungs
or
in your lower extremities)
-
Digitalis (may be
prescribed
to help your heart contract or pump with more strength. When the
heart contracts with more force it can pump more blood with each heart
beat. In this way more oxygen rich blood os being delivered to
the
body's organs. Sometimes this drug is also given to help regulate
an irregular or rapid heartbeat.
-
a Beta Blocker such as
Carvedilol
(Coreg) (may be used to block the body's response to certain
stimulation
that may damage the heart further by causing it to work too hard)
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