Heart failure: Overview

Heart failure doesn't mean your heart has stopped working or is about to stop working. It also doesn't mean that you have had a heart attack.

Heart failure means your heart isn't pumping blood as efficiently as it should. Because your heart isn't able to pump the normal amount of blood out of your ventricles, the blood vessels leading into your heart can become congested or "backed up" with blood.

Your heart may be damaged and pump with less force. To try to keep the same amount of blood moving through your body, the chambers stretch and enlarge to hold more blood. This process is called heart enlargement. Your heart muscle begins to weaken as it tries to pump this increased blood.

Because your heart is weakened, it pumps less blood to your organs — especially to your kidneys, which normally help your body remove excess fluid.

Eventually, parts of your body hold excess fluid that isn't being circulated very well by your heart. Your body becomes congested with fluid. This is why heart failure is sometimes called "congestive heart failure."

Heart failure can be caused by enlarged chambers.

Heart failure can be caused by enlarged chambers.
Heart failure can be caused by thickened heart walls.

Common symptoms of heart failure

Common symptoms of heart failure include:

Breathing problems
Waking up breathless at night
Swelling in the feet, ankles, legs, hands, and/or lower back (known as edema)
Swelling in the abdomen (known as ascities)
Wait gain, even with a loss of appetite
Extreme fatigue
Dizziness, lightheadedness and lack of concentration
Palpitations (caused by irregular heartbeat)

Symptoms of heart failure may develop slowly over days or weeks, or they may develop quickly. If you do not get help as soon as you have these symptoms, you may need to spend time in the hospital to get the symptoms under control.

Causes of heart failure

Coronary artery disease – the arteries narrow from plaque (fatty deposit), reducing blood flow to the heart
Heart attack – blood cannot get through a coronary artery to the heart
High blood pressure – the heart needs greater than normal force to push blood through blood vessels. If left untreated, high blood pressure causes the heart to enlarge and weakens its pumping ability.
Valve disease – heart valves do not open or close properly, causing the heart to work harder. Over time the heart chambers lose their ability to pump blood well.
Idiopathic cardiomyopathy – the muscle wall of the heart weakens, making it difficult to pump blood well.

Managing heart failure symptoms

Things you can do to help you feel better and manage your disease include:

Keep all appointments with your health care provider and health team members.
Take your medicines as directed.
Weigh yourself every day and record your weight.
Follow a well-balanced diet that includes no more than 2,000 milligrams of sodium each day.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Exercise every day (as directed by your health care team) and be sure to get enough rest.
Do not smoke and avoid secondhand smoke.
Be aware of the stress in your life and try to find ways to relieve it.