Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure is a condition where the heart cannot pump enough oxygen rich blood throughout the body and to other organs in the body.

There are many causes for having Congestive heart failure. Some of the causes are narrowed arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, past heart attack history or myocardial infarction (medical term for a heart attack), high blood pressure, heart valve disease due to past rheumatic fever, primary disease of heart muscle itself, heart defects that are present at birth, or infection of the heart valves and heart muscle.

Congestive Heart failure is a congestion that develops when fluids back up into a persons lungs and then leaks into the tissues. The heart has two different sides the left side and the right side. The symptoms of a heart failure on the right side of the heart include: shortness of breath (dyspnea), asthma-like wheezing, sleep apnea, pinkish froth, dry hacking after laying down, and weight gain. A left side heart failure is more commonly seen. The symptoms of a heart failure on the left side include fatigue, having fluid in feet, ankles, legs, and abdomen. The loss of muscle mass is also a symptom of a right side heart failure. Knowing the symptoms now could’ve have saved my family quite a bit of heartache. My dad had most of the symptoms of the left side, he most definitely had shortness of breath and sleep apnea but because he was a large man he and my mom may have not thought anything of it. I am not positive what side of the heart failed in my dad’s but from the symptoms it is safe to say that it was the left side.

When symptoms of CHF prove to be true a diagnosis must be confirmed. A diagnosis can be confirmed by physical examination, patient history, and various tests. During a physical examination a physician looks for an underlying cause. While reviewing a patient’s history alcohol and drug use is reviewed as well as history of hypertension, prior chest pains or...