« Concussion | Main | Clinical Depression »
Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure (CHF) (also called congestive cardiac failure and heart failure) is the inability of the heart to pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body, or requiring elevated filling pressures in order to pump effectively.
The term heart failure is frequently misused, especially when given as cause of death: it is not synonymous with "cessation of heartbeat".
There are many different ways to categorize heart failure, including the side of the heart involved (left heart failure vs. right heart failure) or whether the abnormality is due to contraction or relaxation of the heart (systolic heart failure vs. diastolic heart failure).
Individuals with heart failure are sensitive to small shifts in their intravascular volume status (the amount of fluid in their circulatory system). Increasing the volume in their circulatory system can cause symptoms and signs of decompensated heart failure, while decreasing the volume in the circulatory system can cause hypotension.
Signs of decompensated heart failure include pulmonary edema (fluid building up in the lungs), peripheral edema (fluid building up in dependent portions of the body).
symptoms of congestive heart failure include:
- dyspnea on exertion (shortness of breath)
- fatigue
- paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (shortness of breath when lying down).
The NYHA functional class is a commonly used way to gauge the progression of CHF in a particular patient. This classification is used to determine how much CHF limits their lifestyle, and does not apply to a particular decompensated episode.
treatmenting the symptoms of congestive heart failure
The treatment congestive heart failure focuses on treating the signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure and preventing the progression of disease. If there is a reversible cause of the heart failure (e.g. infection, alcohol ingestion, anemia, thyrotoxicosis, arrhythmia, or hypertension), that should be addressed as well.
Treating the signs and symptoms of Congestive heart failure involves maintaining a euvolemic state (normal fluid level in the circulatory system). This is done with the judicious use of diuretic agents, vasodilator agents, and positive inotropes. Certain subgroups may benefit from Bi-ventricular pacemaker placement or surgical remodelling of the heart. While these treatment modalities may make the patient symptomatically better, either they have not been shown to improve survival in large clinical studies or those studies have not been performed.
In the recently completed COMPANION trial, cardiac resynchronization therapy (pacing both the left ventricle as well as the right ventricle) has been shown to improve survival in individuals with NYHA class III or IV heart failure with a widened QRS complex on EKG.
Delaying the progression of heart failure involves the use of ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, and aldosterone inhibitors. These agents have been proven to improve survival in individuals with CHF. While the mechanism of improving is not entirely clear, it appears that these agents prevent remodelling of the heart and therefore prevent progression of dilatation of the left ventricle.
The ultimate treatment is cardiac transplant surgery (heart transplant) or implantation of an artificial heart.
Posted by Staff at June 4, 2005 7:27 PM
blog comments powered by DisqusComments Archive
My mother has both legs swollen from toes to thigh she is also short of breath. Is this CHF?
Posted by: Sonijha Desantangelos at August 2, 2005 6:27 PM
It may be. Has she seen a physician? It could also simply be edema with a chest cold, or edema with asthma as well. I would suggest that she see's a physician as soon as possible if she has not seen one about her current symptoms.
Posted by: Staff at August 3, 2005 1:35 AM
My mother was told that her heart is pumping in fine, but is not releasing well. She has shortness of breath, swelling of the ankles and legs with redness, and tired a lot of the time. Could this be CHF?
Posted by: Kathy at August 9, 2005 8:17 PM
MY MOTHER IS 85 YEARS OLD AND HAS BEEN IN AND OUT THE HOSPITAL SINCE AUGUST WITH CHF. WHEN SHE COMES OUT THE HOSPITAL USUALLY SHE GOES H0ME WITH MY SISTER BECAUSE MY MOTHER LIVES IN A HOUSE ALONE AS SHE SAYES SHE PREFERS. BUT, THE PROBLEM FOR ME IS THAT SHE HAS BLACK MOLD IN HER HOUSE IN THE BATHROOM WALL THAT IS DIRECTLY UNDER HER BEDROOM AND KNOWBODY INCLUDING HER SEEMS TO BE CONSERNED ABOUT THE HEALTH PROBLEMS BESIDES MYSELF. I WON'T STEP FOOT IN HER HOUSE
Posted by: KARIMA at February 19, 2007 2:45 PM
MY MOTHER IS 85 YEARS OLD AND HAS BEEN IN AND OUT THE HOSPITAL SINCE AUGUST WITH CHF. WHEN SHE COMES OUT THE HOSPITAL USUALLY SHE GOES H0ME WITH MY SISTER BECAUSE MY MOTHER LIVES IN A HOUSE ALONE AS SHE SAYES SHE PREFERS. BUT, THE PROBLEM FOR ME IS THAT SHE HAS BLACK MOLD IN HER HOUSE IN THE BATHROOM WALL THAT IS DIRECTLY UNDER HER BEDROOM AND KNOWBODY INCLUDING HER SEEMS TO BE CONSERNED ABOUT THE HEALTH PROBLEMS BESIDES MYSELF. I WON'T STEP FOOT IN HER HOUSE
Posted by: KARIMA at February 19, 2007 2:46 PM
