Heart Failure :
Heart failure is described as the heart’s inability to keep up with the blood supply demand. This will result in the body not receiving the oxygen and nutrients it requires to function.
The Heart will try to compensate for this by stretching to try to contract more strongly, this will cause the heart to enlarge. The heart will also try to develop more muscle, this will only work temporarily. The heart will also try to pump faster to increase the amount of blood it can get out into the body.
The body will try and help (they are a team after all) and will try to redirect blood flow, constrict blood vessels to maintain blood pressure. The kidneys will retain sodium and water to help with blood pressure and to allow the heart to move more blood. After a while, the extra fluid the kidney has worked so hard to create, will eventually cause heart failure to worsen as the heart cannot keep up with the amount of blood coming through the heart
Left sided heart failure :
The Left side of the heart is the strongest side, it is alway pumping harder than the right. A normal left ventricle is able to pump 55-60% of the blood in each heart beat. If the left side fails it could be either caused by the heart not being able to pump with enough force, or if the left ventricle is unable to relax appropriately in between contractions
Right sided heart failure :
The right side is mostly responsible for moving the blood that has already been cycled through the body into the right ventricle which sends it to the lungs to be reoxygenated.
When the right side fails it is usually caused by left sided failure. When the left side isn’t able to effectively pump the blood out of the heart into the body, the blood in the lungs starts to pool and ultimately damages the right side.
Congestive heart failure :
Congestive heart failure is an acute medical concern and requires prompt intervention. Usually a result of existing heart failure, due to the inability to pump blood properly and the fluid pooling in the lungs and body tissues, it will congest and the body is unable to get rid of it as the kidney is still trying to collect water and sodium to try and help the heart. This is called fluid retention and will present commonly as swelling (edema) and shortness of breath.
Here is a video on the warning signs Heart Failure Warning Signs and Symptoms
Risk factors and causes of heart failure:
- High cholesterol
- Uncontrolled Diabetes
- Recreational drug use
- Excessive use of alcohol apnea
- Exposure to chemotherapy or radiation therapyyrs and older)
- Infection
- Smoking
- Unhealthy diet
- Elevated BMI (>30)
- Coronary artery disease
- Uncontrolled Arrhythmias
- 12. Congenital heart defects
Heart failure resources :
https://www.heartandstroke.ca/heart-disease/conditions/heart-failure
https://watchlearnlive.heart.org/?moduleSelect=hrtflr https://www.ccsa.ca/canadas-guidance-alcohol-and-health
Treatment of heart failure will depend on the cause and severity of the disease.
The goal is to treat the underlying cause and introduce cardioprotective medications to assist the heart in regaining normal function, however this is not always reversible
