What is Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)?
Cardiology Consultants of Philadelphia PC :: CCPdocs.comOne of the reasons your physician would check for edema (fluid around the extremities) during an office visit is to assess the level of excess fluid not circulating through your body. Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the usually demands of the body. This can cause back pressure of blood flow to other parts of the body. Once this happens, the organs in the body get (congested) with fluid as a result of backpressure, known as congestive heart failure.
Related Questionsfeline-heart Yahoo! Group: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)A cat is said to be in congestive heart failure (CHF) when pulmonary edema or pleural effusion is present. It occurs when the heart is no longer able to meet the demands for pumping blood around the body. Blood backs up into the lungs, leading to fluid leaking into the lung tissue (pulmonary edema) or around the lungs (pleural effusion). This prevents the lungs from functioning normally, leading to breathlessness and lethargy.Related Questions
What is Congestive Heart Failure?
Congestive Heart FailureCongestive Heart Failure results from an enlargement (dilation) of the left ventricle or the main pumping chamber of the heart and a loss of the heart's effective pumping action. There are two types of heart failure. The first type involves an overall dilation of the left ventricle. This type of heart failure is typically not caused by a heart attack.
Related QuestionsCardiology Frequently Asked Questions - Mission Internal Med...The heart is a muscle that vigorously contracts and pumps blood through the body. Some disease processes can weaken the heart muscle and diminish its ability to contract. This failure of the heart's forward pumping action results in the backup of blood in various tissues. When the right ventricle fails, blood backs up in the extremeties (usually the legs). This is referred to as "right heart failure.Related Questions
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) - Texas Heart Institute Hea...Heart failure means your heart is not pumping as well as it should to deliver oxygen-rich blood to your body's cells. Congestive heart failure (CHF) happens when the heart's weak pumping action causes a buildup of fluid (called congestion) in your lungs and other body tissues. CHF usually develops slowly. You may go for years without symptoms, and the symptoms tend to get worse with time.Related Questions
FAQ's - Heart-Disease-MDCongestive heart failure is a serious condition in which the heart is weakened and not able to pump enough blood to supply the body with enough oxygen. This results in lung congestion, causing the heart to work harder and worsening the condition.Related Questions
What are some warning signs of congestive heart failure?
Untitled PageWarning signs for congestive heart failure may include, but are not limited to, shortness of breath, swelling of the feet, ankles, legs, or abdomen, weight gain, fatigue, coughing up of white or pink mucous, or unusually rapid heartbeats.
Related QuestionsI have Congestive Heart Failure. Will ECP help my condition?
ECP: FAQYes. In fact, after lengthy review of numerous double-blind studies, the FDA recently approved ECP Therapy for the treatment of Congestive Heart Failure. These studies proved that ECP Therapy was a safe and effective treatment for CHF. Moreover, ECP is the only treatment that actually improves the condition of the heart. Other treatments simply provide management of symptoms.
Related QuestionsWhy do I have to weigh every day with Congestive heart failure?
Cardiology Associates of Corpus Christi | Frequently Asked Q...Congestive heart failure, or CHF, is a condition in which the heart muscle is weak and cannot pump effectively. If the heart is not able to keep up with the amount of fluid it has to pump, the fluid will escape into the tissue causing swelling. The earliest sign that this is occurring is weight gain because of the extra fluid.
Related QuestionsVASCULARHeart failure means your heart is not pumping as well as it should to deliver oxygen-rich blood to your body's cells. Congestive heart failure (CHF) happens when the heart's weak pumping action causes a buildup of fluid (called congestion) in your lungs and other body tissues. CHF usually develops slowly. You may go for years without symptoms, and the symptoms tend to get worse with time.Related Questions
How is congestive heart failure treated?
Mater Cardiology GroupThe cause of the congestive heart failure will dictate the treatment protocol established. If the heart failure is caused by a valve disorder, then surgery is usually performed. If a disease, such as anaemia, causes the heart failure then the disease is treated. And, although there is no cure for heart failure due to a damaged heart muscle, many forms of treatment have proven to be successful.
Related QuestionsWhat is congestive heart failure, and what are the treatment options?
aarogya.com "The Wellness Site" - Conditions &...Congestive heart failure happens when the heart cannot pump well enough to distribute blood and oxygen to the tissues of the body. It can be caused by a number of factors. The most common is chronic hypertension, or high blood pressure. Other conditions that may lead to heart failure are coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, valve disease and either very fast or very slow heart rhythms. There are many treatment options for heart failure, including:
Related QuestionsWhat is heart failure?
Facts About Heart FailureHeart failure does not mean the heart has stopped working. Rather, it means that the heart's pumping power is weaker than normal. With heart failure, blood moves through the heart and body at a slower rate, and pressure in the heart increases. As a result, 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.
Related QuestionsPatients' Frequently Asked Questions (PFAQ) - Heart & Circul...Heart failure is a clinical syndrome said to present when the heart fails to adequately pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. The terms congestive heart failure or "CHF" are also used to describe this syndrome. Symptoms a patient may experience include exertional fatigue, shortness of breath with activity, shortness of breath lying down, and shortness of breath at rest.Related Questions
Saint John's Health Center - Frequently Asked QuestionsHeart failure occurs when the heart's ability to pump blood becomes significantly weaker than normal, causing the blood to move through the body at a slower rate. Symptoms of heart failure include rapid or irregular heartbeats; shortness of breath; fluid and water retention (i.e., swelling); weakness, fatigue and dizziness or confusion.Related Questions
Patient Freqently Asked QuestionsHeart failure (also called congestive heart failure, HF or CHF) occurs when the heart is no longer able to pump blood efficiently to the vital organs and throughout the body. Because of disease or injury to the heart, the primary pumping chamber of the heart (the left ventricle) can’t provide enough oxygenated blood to the body. As the body tries to compensate for the decreased blood flow, the heart increases in size, making it even less efficient.Related Questions
Boston Scientific ::Heart failure is a common and serious medical condition. Despite its misleading name, "heart failure" does not mean your heart suddenly stops working. Instead, heart failure develops slowly over time as your heart muscle gradually weakens (Play Video). The "failure" refers to your heart's inability to pump enough blood to meet your body's needs.Related Questions
Since there is no cure for congestive heart failure, how is the condition treated?
Heart Conditions in Adults - FAQThe cause of the congestive heart failure will dictate the treatment protocol established. If the heart failure is caused by a valve disorder, then surgery is usually performed. If a disease, such as anemia, causes the heart failure then the disease is treated. And, although there is no cure for heart failure due to a damaged heart muscle, many forms of treatment have proven to be successful. <For more information on congestive heart failure>
Related QuestionsHow do you diagnose and treat congestive heart failure?
Bad links as of 10/18/01Congestive heart failure affects between 2.3 and 3 million people in the U.S., with 400,000 new cases diagnosed each year There are many types of heart and blood vessel diseases. Over 60 million Americans have one or more of them. In 1993, more than 950,000 people died from them 7 over 42 percent of all deaths in the United States! Yet many types of heart disease may be prevented...
Related QuestionsHeart Care FAQ - Heart Failure Institute | Advocate Christ M...If your doctor has told you that you have congestive heart failure, you are not alone. You are one of nearly five million Americans who have heart failure. It is the most common cause for hospitalization in people older than age 65. It simply means that your heart doesn’t work as well as it should. It can make it more difficult for you to do things that may have been easy for you in the past.Related Questions
What are the symptoms of Heart Failure?
Congestive Heart FailureSome of the symptoms of heart failure are shortness of breath, fatigue or weakness, persistent coughing or wheezing, swelling of the legs, ankles, and feet, lack of appetite, confused thinking, and increased or irregular heartbeat.
Related QuestionsWhat is the outlook for people with heart failure?
Facts About Heart FailureYour prognosis or outlook for the future will depend on how well your heart muscle is functioning, your symptoms, and how well you respond to and follow your treatment plan. With the right care, heart failure will not stop you from doing the things you enjoy.
Related QuestionsWhat is end-stage heart failure?
SynCardia Systems, Inc.End-stage heart failure, also known as chronic heart failure, is a condition in which a weakened heart slowly loses its ability to pump blood through the body efficiently. The weakened heart has to work harder in an attempt to pump the proper amount of blood. To compensate for the higher workload, it may beat faster and enlarge. While this corrective mechanism can temporarily increase pumping capacity, it eventually accelerates the progression of heart failure.
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