Your heart is composed of four chambers: two upper chambers called atria, and two lower chambers called ventricles. Blood flows into the right atrium and is pumped into the right ventricle. It is then pumped to the lungs to pick up oxygen. Newly-oxygenated blood flows from the lungs into the left atrium, and is pumped into the left ventricle. It is then pumped out of your heart to the rest of your body.

Many people believe heart failure defines a condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood. This definition is incorrect. In reality, the heart can still pump, but is unable to do so as effectively as it should, given the patient’s age and health. This results in the organs and tissues receiving less oxygenated blood, making tasks that were once easy more difficult.

This article will describe some of the factors that can lead to heart failure (sometimes called congestive heart failure, or CHF). It is estimated that nearly 6 million people in the U.S. suffer from it, with hundreds of thousands of new cases diagnosed each year. You’ll learn about the tests used to diagnose the condition, as well as the measures taken to treat it.

What Factors Cause The Heart To Fail?

There are several potential causes for heart failure. For example, coronary heart disease (CHD) may result in narrowed arteries that cannot supply the heart muscle with enough blood and oxygen. This can impair the heart muscle’s ability to pump blood efficiently. A related cause is high blood pressure (sometimes called hypertension). Here, too, the arteries become narrowed, so less blood is able to flow through them to the heart muscle.

Problems inside the heart can also play a role. For instance, heart valve disease may prevent the chambers from emptying properly. On the right side of the heart, this can affect blood flow to your lungs; on the left side, it can affect blood flow to the rest of your body.

An arrhythmia may also prevent the chambers from contracting and expanding as they should. This will influence their pumping capacity. Some arrhythmias can be caused by a heart attack that interrupts the electrical signals produced by the sinoatrial node.

Congenital heart disease - such as cardiomyopathy - and septal defects can also prevent your heart from pumping as well as it should. Other factors, including emphysema, pulmonary embolism, and even hyperthyroidism, can cause circumstances in which the heart muscle becomes damaged.

How Is The Condition Diagnosed?

Most doctors begin by reviewing the patient’s medical history, and performing a physical exam. The medical history may reveal known risk factors that increase the probability of CHF. The physical examination gives the physician a chance to listen for abnormalities in the heart’s pumping activity, as well as look for signs of swelling in the extremities.

Chest x-rays are then taken to display the heart and lungs so the doctor can note whether the former has become enlarged. The images will also show whether fluid is accumulating in the lungs or heart. An electrocardiogram (EKG) may also be done to examine the electrical activity of the heart muscle, including its rhythm.

Many doctors rely on echocardiography to provide a clearer picture of the heart. These images are generated with sound waves, and can show the function of the individual chambers and valves. Duplex ultrasound may be used to show how fast blood is moving through the heart.

Measures Used To Treat Heart Failure

Once CHF has been diagnosed, physicians focus on treating the underlying cause (e.g. CHD, valve disease, septal defects, etc.). By doing so, they hope to reduce the symptoms experienced by the patient while improving his or her long-term quality of life. Medications, such as diuretics, beta blockers, and ACE inhibitors, may be given depending on the circumstance. Digoxin is also given to help the heart muscle pump more aggressively.

When necessary, doctors will perform surgery to resolve heart failure. This can include the installation of a pacemaker, or another device (e.g. implantable cardioverter defibrillator) that can help your heart pump blood.

Congestive heart failure is a serious condition that can lower your quality of life, and shorten your lifespan. If you suspect you suffer from it, speak with your physician to discuss an appropriate path to treatment and recovery.

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