Introduction
Congestive heart failure is a condition that causes health complications and affects people in various ways. The condition happens when the muscle of the heart fails to supply enough oxygenated blood to the body (A. A. Inamdar, 2016; A. C. Inamdar, 2016). The main types of heart failure are left-sided, right-sided, systolic, and diastolic. The treatment includes the use of medication and surgery. Therefore, this paper will give an overview of congestive heart failure, symptoms, causes, types, and treatment.
Overview
Congestive heart failure is a condition of the heart caused by its inability to pump blood. In other words, heart failure happens when the heart fails to push blood at a rate sufficient to attain the requirements of metabolic tissues because of a fault in cardiac operations (A. A. Inamdar, 2016; A. C. Inamdar, 2016). The elderly population is more susceptible to developing heart failure. The condition can be managed through various interventions but not cured.
Symptoms
Some of the symptoms of this condition are difficulty in breathing, irregular heartbeat, faintness, and inflammation in the ankles and abdomen. Shortness of breath is when an individual has trouble breathing since the body is not getting enough oxygen-rich blood (A. A. Inamdar, 2016; A. C. Inamdar, 2016). In addition, irregular heartbeat is one indication of the condition because a heart may beat faster to get the required oxygen-rich blood to the body. Therefore, health provides depend on these signs to diagnose the condition.
Causes
Heart failure occurs after the heart has been impaired by another condition. It can also happen if the heart becomes inflexible (A. A. Inamdar, 2016; A. C. Inamdar, 2016). In heart failure, the primary pumping areas of the heart, known as the ventricles, may harden and fail to fill correctly. In some people, the muscles of the heart may be injured or too weak to operate effectively. The ventricles that are strained cannot effectively push oxygenated blood to the whole of the body (A. A. Inamdar, 2016; A. C. Inamdar, 2016). Therefore, congestive heart failure is caused by the inability of the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body.
Types of Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure is grouped into left-sided, right-sided, diastolic, and systolic. Left-sided occurs when fluids accumulate in the lungs, causing difficulty in breathing (A. A. Inamdar, 2016; A. C. Inamdar, 2016). Right-sided happens when a fluid fills up in the abdomen and foot, leading to edema. Systolic occurs when the ventricle fails to contract as needed, showing an issue with the pumping system. Finally, diastolic heart occurs when the ventricle fails to relax as needed, indicating a filling issue. The types of heart failure indicate where the problem is in the heart.
Treatment
Heart failure treatment options include medications, addressing the underlying condition, implantable cardiac devices, surgery, and heart transplant. Some medicines that can be used in the treatment are diuretics, ACE inhibitors, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and certain beta-blockers (A. A. Inamdar, 2016; A. C. Inamdar, 2016). Heart failure can also be treated by treating underlying disorders such as high blood pressure. In addition, the condition can be treated by surgery to replace narrowed or leaking heart valves and insert implantable cardiac devices.
Conclusion
Congestive heart failure is a heart condition that results in several complications and affects people in various ways. It happens when the heart muscle cannot deliver adequate oxygen-rich blood to attain the body’s metabolic needs. The mechanisms used in treating the condition are the use of medicines and various types of surgery. Surgery can be done to replace leaking or narrowed valves in the heart.
Reference
Inamdar, A. A., & Inamdar, A. C. (2016). Heart failure: diagnosis, management and utilization. Journal of clinical medicine, 5(7), 62. Web.