Blood is pumped by contraction and expansion of the heart. Movement of blood through the body carries nutrients and wastes; it is the constant work of the heart which prevents stasis.
You know.
Before people knew what brains were they thought the heart was the
seat of the soul.
I followed my grandmother everywhere, even to the convalescent home.
This is what I know about Congestive Heart Failure:
the doctor lifted her gown and pressed his thumb into her left shin. When he withdrew it there remained a pit, as though in clay. That was edema — the accumulation of fluids in tissues. Overfilling of the flesh. That is Congestive Heart Failure.
Now this, what's coming up, is not what I know, but facts that I can tell you.
CHF
Congestive Heart Failure is easy to write like this: CHF.
A heart afflicted with CHF is unable to effectively pump blood to the other organs.
The 'congestive' in 'Congestive Heart Failure' refers the pooling of blood and other fluids in the tissues resulting from weak intake: edema. Edema can occur both in superficial tissues, like skin, and in organs, like lungs. The parts of the body that swell depend on which side of the heart fails:
- If the left side fails, edema occurs in the lungs;
- If the right side fails, edema is in the veins and limbs.
CHF is a slow illness. Typically, symptoms do not appear for years:
- Difficulty breathing, especially while lying down
- Weakness
- Weight gain from excess fluid
- Chest pain
- Indigestion & loss of appetite
- Swollen neck veins
- Clammy skin
- Fast or irregular pulse
- Confusion, restlessness, memory problems
Gradual worsening of symptoms is a manifestation of the heart laboring to compensate for deficiencies. The heart grows and pumps faster. If applied early, treatments can prevent the patient from becoming an invalid.
Excess of sodium sometimes leads to kidney failure. Pulmonary edema is the most dangerous result of CHF — accumulation of fluids in the alveoli of the lungs.
The heart is weakened by trauma. CHF is a result of prior heart problems.
CHF is a common killer. While the risk increases with age, only one out of ten is affected by age 75; however, patients with CHF make up the largest diagnosis-related group over 65 years in hospitals. Similarly, 30% - 40% of people with CHF are hospitalized at least yearly. The average person has four years to live after being diagnosed.
Men die faster. My grandmother lived fifteen years.
Most doctors know CHF by edema and shortness of breath. Closer inspection with a stethoscope reveals the crackling sounds of fluid in the lungs and the valve-sound of heart murmurs. A quick heartbeat discloses overwork. A tap on the chest reveals trapped fluids. X-Rays display an enlarged heart and fluid in the lungs. An electrocardiography detects irregular heartbeat and stress on the heart.
Once a diagnosis is made, a number of things can be done.
By the patient:
By drugs:
In the blood vessels:
- Angioplasty — a catheter tipped with a small balloon is inserted into plaqued vessels and inflated at the site of trouble, flattening the deposits against the vessel wall.
- Stenting — used with angioplasty. Introduction of a small piece of meshed metal at the site of blockage to prevent plaque regrowth.
- Inotropic drug therapy — medicine administered directly through a catheter in a vein. Increases the heart's ability to beat.
By surgery:
Sources
American Heart Association.
www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4855
Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital.
www.tmc.edu/thi/chf.htm
emedicine.
www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic108.htm