Table of Contents

Know more Heart failure

Overview

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump sufficient blood. Few people may even witness stiffening and hardness in their chest while suffering from heart failure. Both sides of your heart may be affected during heart failure. It can be fatal if it isn’t treated properly.

Types

Heart failure can be of the following types:

Right-sided heart failure: Here, fluid backs up to organs like legs, feet and abdomen, leading to extreme swellings.
Left-sided heart failure: Here, the fluid backs up into the lungs causing shortness of breath.
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: Here, the left ventricle is unable to fill fully or relax
Systolic heart failure: Here, the left ventricle is unable to contract strenuously.

Causes

Heart failure is usually linked to another heart condition, especially coronary artery disease. Other diseases which could increase the risk of contracting heart failure are as follows:

HIV
Severe anemia
Cancer treatments like chemotherapy
Heart attack
Congenital heart diseases
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Sleep apnea which is left untreated
Irregular heart rhythms
Arrhythmias
Cardiomyopathy

Symptoms

Symptoms of heart failure may include:

Sudden weight gain
Fatigue
Irregular heart rate
Shortness of breath, especially while lying down
Extreme swelling in the leg and abdomen regions
Palpations in the heart
Sudden loss of appetite
Protruding neck veins
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Inability or extreme discomfort while participating in physical activities
Decreased alertness
Severe chest pain, especially if a heart attack causes heart failure

Diagnosis

Several tests may be conducted to diagnose heart failure. Some of them are:

Physical exam
Echocardiogram
Nuclear scan
Heart MRI
Chest X-ray
Blood tests
Holter monitoring
Coronary angiogram

Treatment

Treatment may consist of:

Medications: Medications like blood thinners and nitrates may be prescribed by the doctor
Bypass surgeries: Here, a healthy part of the vein or artery is removed and attached to the blocked coronary artery.
Percutaneous coronary intervention: Here, a catheter which is attached to a balloon, is inserted into the artery to inflate the artery.
Pacemakers: Pacemakers may be inserted to control heart rhythms.
Transplant surgery: The infected part or the entire heart is removed and replaced with a donor’s heart. This surgery is usually conducted when no other treatments have worked on the patient.