Heart Failure
Heart Failure Defined
In heart
failure , the heart cannot pump enough blood through the body. The
heart cannot fill with enough blood or pump with enough force, or both. Heart
failure develops over time as the pumping action of the heart gets weaker. It
can affect either the right, the left, or both sides of the heart. Heart failure
does not mean that the heart has stopped working or is about to stop working.
In most cases, heart failure affects the left side of the heart when it
cannot pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. When heart failure
affects the right side, the heart cannot pump enough blood to the lungs, where
it picks up oxygen.
In normal hearts, blood vessels called veins bring oxygen-poor blood from the
body to the right side of the heart. It is then pumped through the pulmonary
artery to the lungs, picking up oxygen. From there, the blood returns to the
left side of the heart. Then it is pumped through a large artery called the
aorta that distributes blood throughout the body.
When the heart is weakened by heart failure, blood and fluid can back up into
the lungs, and fluid builds up in the feet, ankles, and legs. People with heart
failure often experience tiredness and shortness of breath.
Heart failure is a serious condition. Scientists estimate that 5 million
people in the U.S. have heart failure and that number is growing. It contributes
to 300,000 deaths each year. Heart failure is most common in those who are age
65 years and older and is the number one reason older people are hospitalized.
Heart failure tends to be more common in men than in women, but because women
usually live longer, the condition affects more women in their 70s and 80s.
Heart failure can also be called congestive heart failure, systolic heart
failure, diastolic heart failure, left-sided heart failure, or right-sided heart
failure.
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