Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive Heart Failure – this disease occurs when the heart loses the ability to pump enough blood to sustain the rest of the body, most often due to a chronic or long-term condition.

Causes

• Coronary artery disease
• High blood pressure
• Cardiomyopathy
• Arrhythmia (irregular heart beat)
• Congenital heart disease
• Heart valve disease
• Heart tumor
• Lung disease

Symptoms

• Cough
• Decreased alertness or concentration
• Decreased urine production
• Difficulty sleeping
• Fatigue, weakness, faintness
• Irregular or rapid pulse
• Loss of appetite, indigestion
• Nausea and vomiting
• Palpitations
• Shortness of breath
• Swelling
• Weight gain

Diagnosis:

• History of symptoms
• Physical exam
• Electrocardiogram
• Echocardiogram
• Blood testing for Brain Natriuretic Peptide levels that accurately measure fluid retention
• Chest X-Ray

Treatment Options:

• Change to a low salt diet
• Supervised aerobic exercise
• Medications
• Bi-Ventricular Pacemakers (improve cardiac function)
• Defibrillators (protect from life-threatening arrhythmias)
• Cardiac catheterization with procedures like angioplasty or stenting (help blood flow)
• Cardiac valve surgery or coronary artery bypass surgery

Importance: more common with advancing age, if you are overweight, have diabetes, smoke cigarettes, abuse alcohol or drugs.