Congestive Heart Failure

Synonyms

Heart failure

Definition

Congestive heart failure (CHF) or heart failure is a condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump sufficient blood to adequately supply the body’s organs.

Current Knowledge

Common causes of CHF include coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, hypertension, cardiac valve disease, cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease), congenital heart disease, and endocarditis (heart infection). In CHF, the heart continues to pump, but exercise and activity cause shortness of breath (“dyspnea on exertion” or DOE), fatigue, weakness, light-headedness, or syncope. Because the heart is not pumping the blood completely and effectively, the blood “backs up” into the heart chambers, and ultimately into the venous system. This causes congestion of the tissues, and edema in the legs and internal organs, including the lungs (“pulmonary edema”), often resulting in shortness of breath, especially when lying supine (“orthopnea”). Electrocardiogram and certain blood...