Heart Failure and Congestive Heart Failure Review

Flashcards covering the definitions, types, structural mechanics, pathophysiology, and clinical treatments of heart failure and CHF.

Heart failure

A complex syndrome resulting from any functional or structural disorder of the heart that increases the risk of developing manifestations of low cardiac output and/or pulmonary or systemic congestion.

Cardiac Output (CO)

The efficiency of the heart determined by the amount of blood ejected each minute, calculated by the formula $CO = SV \times HR$.

Systole

The phase of the cardiac cycle where the ventricles contract forcefully to expel blood into the outflow vessels.

Diastole

The phase of the cardiac cycle where the ventricles relax and fill with blood from the atria.

Cardiac reserve

The ability of the heart to increase its output during periods of increased activity.

Preload

The volume of blood in the ventricle at the end of diastole, representing the pressure from the venous system right before the ventricles contract.

Afterload

The force or resistance that the contracting heart muscle must generate to eject blood, created by the arteries and systemic vascular resistance.

Contractility

The heart's ability to contract and increase cardiac output independent of preload and afterload, utilizing energy from ATP and the presence of $Ca^{++}$.

Left-sided heart failure

The inability of the left ventricle to pump enough blood, leading to fluid backup into the lungs and pulmonary edema.

Right-sided heart failure

Inefficient pumping of the right side of the heart, causing fluid buildup in the abdomen, legs, and feet, often resulting from left-sided HF, COPD, or pulmonary HTN.

Systolic dysfunction

Pathophysiology resulting from impaired myocardial contractility and a decreased ejection fraction of $EF < 40\%$, leading to volume overload.

Diastolic dysfunction

The inability of the left ventricle to fill sufficiently during diastole due to conditions like myocardial hypertrophy, ischemic heart disease, or age.

Frank-Starling mechanism

A compensatory mechanism where increased preload stretches cardiac muscle fibers to trigger a more forceful contraction, resulting in increased stroke volume.

Hepatomegaly

Congestion of the liver, which is a common manifestation of right-sided heart failure due to systemic venous congestion.

Acute pulmonary edema

A life-threatening condition where capillary fluid moves into the alveoli, characterized by dyspnea, air hunger, and frothy blood-tinged sputum.

Cachexia

A clinical manifestation of heart failure involving physical wasting and malnutrition.

Compensatory mechanisms

The body's efforts to fix system failure, including the Frank-Starling mechanism, Sympathetic nervous system activity, Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone mechanism, and Natriuretic peptides.

Echocardiography

A diagnostic lab/imaging tool used to determine the extent of heart dysfunction.

ACE inhibitors

A pharmacologic treatment used in the management of heart failure alongside diuretics, digoxin, and beta-blockers.