Heart Failure

Heart failure is a kind of disorder which causes weakening of the cardiovascular system by damaging the heart. The tissues of the heat do not receive adequate blood supply in this problem. The underlying reason of heart failure can be heart injury or inappropriate responses of the body to heart impairment. There are two types of heart failure, right heart failure and left heart failure. In right heart failure, the right side of the heart becomes unable to pump blood into pulmonary circulation adequately. The swelling and edema can occur due to right heart failure. While left heart failure refers to the inability of right side of the heart to pump blood into the systemic circulation.

This can cause the accretion of fluid in the lungs. The heart failure has been further classified into forward heart failure, backward heart failure and congestive heart failure. The forward heart failure occurs when heart do not pump sufficient amount of blood to fulfill the oxygen demand of the body. In backward heart failure, heart works appropriately only when heart pressure is in abnormal condition. In the congestive heart failure, the heart does not pump blood due to high venous pressure. Fluid in the lungs or body can be an ultimate reason.

The heart failure may be of severe nature because of fundamental diseases present already for example kidney impairment, hypertension, vascular disease, or diabetes. Among the general symptoms of heart failure shortage of breath, edema, difficulty exercising, fatigue and dizziness (due to low blood pressure) are included.

The treatment of heart failure could be outpatient including diuretics, ACE inhibitors, vasodilators, beta-blockers, digitalis, and anticoagulants that does not need hospitalization. In case of Inpatient treatment when patient has advance heart failure, he/she may be advised to stay in hospital taking intravenous (IV) medications. A surgical procedure may also be advised by the doctor depending on the condition of heart failure. Possible options are angioplasty, coronary bypass surgery, valve surgery, or heart transplantation. Furthermore, adopting a healthy life style can improve the chances to heal up from the heart failure. A healthy diet, regular exercise, controlled weight and regular visit to doctor are amongst the general suggestions.