heart failure

Description According to the American Heart Association, about 4.9 million Americans are living with congestive heart failure.. Heart failure caused by abnormality of the lower left cham

Heart Failure

Definition

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart has lost the ability to pump enough blood

to the body's tissues With too little blood being delivered, the organs and other tissues

do not receive enough oxygen and nutrients to function properly

Description

According to the American Heart Association, about 4.9 million Americans are living with congestive heart failure Of these, 2.5 million are males and 2.4 million are females Ten of every 1,000 people over age 65 have this condition There are about 400,000 new cases each year

Heart failure happens when a disease affects the heart's ability to deliver enough blood

to the body's tissues Often, a person with heart failure may have a buildup of fluid in the tissues, called edema Heart failure with this kind of fluid buildup is called congestive heart failure Where edema occurs in the body depends on the part of the heart that is affected by heart failure Heart failure caused by abnormality of the lower left chamber

of the heart (left ventricle) means that the left ventricle cannot pump blood out to the body as fast as it returns from the lungs Because blood cannot get back to the heart, it begins to back up in the blood vessels of the lungs Some of the fluid in the blood is forced into the breathing space of the lungs, causing pulmonary edema A person with pulmonary edema has shortness of breath, which may be acute, severe and life

threatening A person with congestive heart failure feels tired because not enough blood circulates to supply the body's tissues with the oxygen and nutrients they need

Abnormalities of the heart structure and rhythm also can be responsible for left

ventricular congestive heart failure

In right-sided heart failure, the lower right chamber of the heart (right ventricle) cannot pump blood to the lungs as fast as it returns from the body through the veins Blood then engorges the right side of the heart and the veins Fluid backed up in the veins is forced out into the tissues, causing swelling (edema), usually in the feet and legs

Congestive heart failure of the right ventricle often is caused by abnormalities of the heart valves and lung disorders

When the heart cannot pump enough blood, it tries to make up for this by becoming larger By becoming enlarged (hypertrophic) the ventricle can contract more strongly and pump more blood When this happens, the heart chamber becomes larger and the muscle in the heart wall becomes thicker The heart also compensates by pumping more often to improve blood output and circulation The kidneys try to compensate for a failing heart by retaining more salt and water to increase the volume of blood This extra fluid also can cause edema Eventually, as the condition worsens over time these measures are not enough to keep the heart pumping enough blood needed by the body Kidneys often weaken under these circumstances, further aggravating the situation and making therapy more difficult

For most people, heart failure is a chronic disease with no cure However, it can be managed and treated with medicines and changes in diet, exercise, and life-style habits Heart transplantation is considered in some cases

Causes and symptoms

The most common causes of heart failure are:

 coronary artery disease and heart attack (which may be "silent")

 cardiomyopathy

 high blood pressure (hypertension)

 heart valve disease

 congenital heart disease

 alcoholism and drug abuse

The most common cause of heart failure is coronary artery disease In coronary artery disease, the arteries supplying blood to the heart become narrowed or blocked When blood flow to an area of the heart is completely blocked, the person has a heart attack Some heart attacks go unrecognized The heart muscle suffers damage when its blood supply is reduced or blocked If the damage affects the heart's ability to pump blood, heart failure develops

Cardiomyopathy is a general term for disease of the heart muscle Cardiomyopathy may

be caused by coronary artery disease and various other heart problems Sometimes the cause of cardiomyopathy cannot be found In these cases the heart muscle disease is called idiopathic cardiomyopathy Whatever the cause, cardiomyopathy can weaken the heart, leading to heart failure

High blood pressure is another common cause of heart failure High blood pressure makes the heart work harder to pump blood After a while, the heart cannot keep up and the symptoms of heart failure develop

Defects of the heart valves, congenital heart diseases, alcoholism, and drug abuse cause damage to the heart that can all lead to heart failure

A person with heart failure may experience the following:

 shortness of breath

 frequent coughing, especially when lying down

 swollen feet, ankles, and legs

 abdominal swelling and pain

 fatigue

 dizziness or fainting

 sudden death

A person with left-sided heart failure may have shortness of breath and coughing

caused by the fluid buildup in the lungs Pulmonary edema may cause the person to cough up bubbly phlegm that contains blood With right-sided heart failure, fluid build-up

in the veins and body tissues causes swelling in the feet, legs, and abdomen When body tissues, such as organs and muscles, do not receive enough oxygen and nutrients they cannot function as well, leading to tiredness and dizziness

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of heart failure is based on:

 symptoms

 medical history

 physical examination

 chest x ray

 electrocardiogram (ECG; also called EKG)

 other imaging tests

 cardiac catheterization

A person's symptoms can provide important clues to the presence of heart failure Shortness of breath while engaging in activities and episodes of shortness of breath that wake a person from sleep are classic symptoms of heart failure During the physical examination, the physician listens to the heart and lungs with a stethoscope for telltale signs of heart failure Irregular heart sounds, "gallops," a rapid heart rate, and murmurs

of the heart valves may be heard If there is fluid in the lungs a crackling sound may be heard Rapid breathing or other changes in breathing may also be present Patients with heart failure also may have a rapid pulse

By pressing on the abdomen, the physician can feel if the liver is enlarged The skin of the fingers and toes may have a bluish tint and feel cool if not enough oxygen is

reaching them

A chest x ray can show if there is fluid in the lungs and if the heart is enlarged

Abnormalities of heart valves and other structures also may be seen on chest x ray

An electrocardiogram gives information on the heart rhythm and the size of the heart It can show if the heart chamber is enlarged and if there is damage to the heart muscle from blocked arteries

Besides chest x ray, other imaging tests may help make a diagnosis Echocardiography uses sound waves to make images of the heart These images can show if the heart wall or chambers are enlarged and if there are any abnormalities of the heart valves An echocardiogram also can be used to find out how much blood the heart is pumping It determines the amount of blood in the ventricle (ventricular volume) and the amount of blood the ventricle pumps each time it beats (called the ejection fraction) A healthy heart pumps at least one-half the amount of blood in the left ventricle with each

heartbeat Radionuclide ventriculography also measures the ejection fraction by

imaging with very low doses of an injected radioactive substance as it travels through the heart

A new test that measures the level of a particular hormone in the blood was introduced

in 2003 and researchers said the test may be useful for testing for heart failure in

physicians' offices because it could provide results in 15 minutes

Cardiac catheterization involves using a small tube (catheter) that is inserted through a blood vessel into the heart It is used to measure pressure in the heart and the amount

of blood pumped by the heart This test can help find abnormalities of the coronary arteries, heart valves, and heart muscle, and other blood vessels Combined with echocardiography and other tests, cardiac catheterization can help find the cause of heart failure It is not always necessary, however

Treatment

Heart failure usually is treated with lifestyle changes and medicines Sometimes surgery

is needed to correct abnormalities of the heart or heart valves Heart transplantation is a last resort to be considered in certain cases

Dietary changes to maintain proper weight and reduce salt intake may be needed Reducing salt intake helps to lessen swelling in the legs, feet, and abdomen

Appropriate exercise also may be recommended, but it is important that heart failure patients only begin an exercise program with the advice of their doctors Walking, bicycling, swimming, or low-impact aerobic exercises may be recommended There are good heart rehabilitation programs at most larger hospitals

Other lifestyle changes that may reduce the symptoms of heart failure include stopping smoking or other tobacco use, eliminating or reducing alcohol consumption, and not using harmful drugs

One or more of the following types of medicines may be prescribed for heart failure:

 diuretics

 digitalis

 vasodilators

 beta blockers

 angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors)

 angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)

 calcium channel blockers

Diuretics help eliminate excess salt and water from the kidneys by making patients urinate more often This helps reduce the swelling caused by fluid buildup in the tissues Digitalis helps the heart muscle to have stronger pumping action Vasodilators, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and calcium channel blockers lower blood pressure and expand the blood vessels so blood can move more easily through them This action makes it easier for the heart to pump blood through the vessels Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins can help prevent death from heart failure A 2003 study showed a 62% drop in mortality rate among patients with severe heart failure who took statin therapy

In 2003, a new noninvasive procedure was being tested for patients with congestive heart failure Called enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP), it consisted of inflating three sets of pneumatic cuffs attached to the patient's legs The therapy had positive effects on the blood pressure and reduced frequency of episodes of angina (pain) in a clinical trial by as much as 70%

Surgery is used to correct certain heart conditions that cause heart failure Congenital heart defects and abnormal heart valves can be repaired with surgery Blocked

coronary arteries usually can be treated with angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery

With severe heart failure, the heart muscle may become so damaged that available treatments do not help Patients with this stage of heart failure are said to have end-stage heart failure Heart transplant usually is considered for patients with end-end-stage heart failure when all other treatments have stopped working

Prognosis

Most patients with mild or moderate heart failure can be successfully treated with

dietary and exercise programs and the right medications In fact, in 2003, the American Heart Association said that even those awaiting heart transplants could benefit from exercise Many people are able to participate in normal daily activities and lead

relatively active lives

Patients with severe heart failure may eventually have to consider heart transplantation Approximately 50% of patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure live for five years with the condition Women with heart failure usually live longer than men with heart failure

Prevention

Heart failure usually is caused by the effects of some type of heart disease The best way to try to prevent heart failure is to eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise, but many causes of heart failure cannot be prevented People with risk factors for coronary disease (such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels) should work closely with their physician to reduce likelihood of heart attack and heart failure