| failure means the heart has lost some of its ability to | | | | vessels into the tissues as a result of the backup. This |
| pump blood and not, as is often assumed, that the | | | | is referred to as "congestion." Congestion may lead to |
| heart has stopped beating. The two kinds of heart | | | | difficulty breathing, swelling in the ankles and legs, or a |
| failure are "systolic heart failure" which refers to the | | | | loss of appetite. The causes of heart failure are varied. |
| heart muscle becoming weak and not being able to | | | | Common causes are blockages in the blood vessels, |
| pump enough blood out with each beat and "diastolic | | | | high blood pressure, disease of the heart valves, |
| heart failure," where the heart muscle has become | | | | diabetes, infections of the heart muscle, cancer drugs, |
| stiff and has lost the ability to relax and fill completely | | | | and genetic abnormalities that run in families. If no |
| with blood. Taking your medication, eating right, | | | | cause is known, it is referred to as "Idiopathic |
| watching fluid intake, and exercising will help prevent | | | | Cardiomyopathy." Symptoms of heart failure can be |
| heart failure from getting worse and can sometimes | | | | symptoms of other medical problems as well, i.e. |
| improve it. | | | | weight gain of more than two pounds overnight or five |
| The heart is a muscle with four chambers that pump | | | | pounds in a week, shortness of breath after simple |
| blood. The "atria" are the upper two chambers, the | | | | activities, difficulty breathing while lying down, cough, |
| "ventricles" the lower two. The heart is really two | | | | weakness or fatigue, swelling in the ankles or legs, loss |
| pumps that together move blood through the body. | | | | of appetite, belly pain and fullness. |
| The right-sided pump fills with blood returning from the | | | | Shortness of breath or feeling weak after activity is |
| body and pumps it to the lungs to receive oxygen. The | | | | the first clues to heart failure. A doctor may use one |
| left side of the heart receives blood from the lungs | | | | of several tests to find the out the cause of your |
| and pumps it out to all parts of the body. The | | | | symptoms and decide on treatment. Possible tests |
| right-sided pump only has to pump blood to the lungs; it | | | | include: an Electrocardiogram ("EKG" or "ECG") which |
| is a thinner muscle than the left-sided pump which is a | | | | records the electrical activity of your heart; an |
| strong, thick muscle. | | | | Echocardiogram ("Echo") which is an ultrasound of the |
| If a person has heart failure, his heart may not pump | | | | heart; a Chest X-ray, an MRI, a Cardiopulmonary |
| enough blood to the lungs and other parts of the body | | | | Exercise Test which is a kind of stress test; a MIBI |
| during activity. The result is a shortage of oxygen and | | | | Stress Test; a PET Scan, Blood Tests, and Heart |
| nutrients in the blood that make a person weak and | | | | Catheterization which include right heart catheterization |
| tired. A backup of blood can be caused when the | | | | or left heart catheterization. |
| heart is not pumping well. Fluid leaks from the blood | | | | |