What is Heart Failure?

How Does a Normal Heart Work?

The heart is a hollow muscle about the size of your fist. It pumps blood with oxygen and nutrients throughout your body. The heart has four chambers: two at the top, called atria, and two at the bottom, called ventricles. The heart is divided into right and left sides. The right side receives blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs to increase its oxygen content. This blood is then pumped out to the rest of the body by the left side of the heart.

When you have heart failure, your heart is unable to pump enough blood to satisfy your body’s requirements. Blood that should be pumped out of the heart may back up into other organs or tissues, such as your lungs, stomach, liver, intestines or legs.

What Role Does the Heart Play in the Body?

The heart is divided into left and right sides. The left side of the heart pumps blood rich in oxygen to your muscles, skin, and organs by means of vessels called arteries. The left side of the heart is shown in the picture as (1). At the same time that blood is providing nutrients and giving oxygen to the cells of your body, it is removing waste matter from these cells. Oxygen-poor blood, also containing waste matter, then returns to the right side of the heart through vessels called veins (2).
From there, the blood is pumped to the lungs (3) where it is oxygenated and cleaned of carbon dioxide. It then returns to the left side of the heart through the pulmonary veins (4) so that it may be repumped throughout the body. Much of the waste matter accumulated from cells is cleared by the liver and kidneys.

Why do I have Heart Failure?

There are many reasons why you may have heart failure. It can result from:

1. A heart attack
2. Your heart muscles are unable to pump effectively
3. Long-term high blood pressure
4. A valve in your heart may not be working properly
5. You may have been drinking too much alcohol over a long period of time
6. A congenital birth defect

Heart failure can be controlled. In most cases, it cannot be cured.

What are the Symptoms of Heart Failure?

• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Cold limbs
• Loss of appetite
• Swelling in your legs and ankles
• Breathlessness
• A dry, hacking cough
• Waking up from sleep with shortness of breath or feeling smothered when you lie down to try and sleep

What Treatment Will I Receive?

You will probably need to take several different medications, follow a low-salt diet, limit your intake of fluids, and ensure you get plenty of rest, combined with periods of exercise.