Learning About Heart Failure Heart failure does not mean that your heart fails (or stops) suddenly. It means that your heart does not pump blood to the body as well as it should. As a rule, it begins when you have some other problem that weakens your heart, such as: • a heart attack or coronary artery disease • high blood pressure
aorta
• a faulty heart valve • infection in your heart muscle
LUNG
• unknown causes (idiopathic) A healthy heart can quickly pump blood to all parts of your body. But, when it’s weak, it can’t do this. Blood backs up in your lungs and other parts of your body (just like a traffic jam backs up when there is too much traffic). Because of this, it is sometimes called “congestive heart failure” or CHF.
left ventricle
Weak left heart
Weak right heart When the weakness is in the right side of the heart, blood backs up into your veins. You may:
When the weakness is in the left side of the heart, fluid will back up into your lungs. You may:
• h ave swelling in your legs and ankles
• feel short of breath • have a dry, hacking cough
• b e sore or bloated around your abdomen area (belly)
• wake up breathless at night • fi nd you cannot sleep unless you prop up on pillows or sit up in a chair
• feel tired a lot • not feel like eating
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Very often you can have both left heart and right heart weakness.
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