Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

A condition where the heart is unable to pump enough blood forward, resulting in elevated filling pressure and reduced cardiac output.

Elevated Filling Pressure

Increased pressure behind the heart that forces more blood into the ventricle, leading to congestion in the lungs and other tissues.

Pulmonary Oedema

Fluid leaks into the lungs due to increased pressure from the left side of the heart, causing difficulty in breathing.

Systolic Dysfunction

Weak contraction of the heart, leading to an inability to pump blood effectively during systole, which can result in heart failure.

Diastolic Dysfunction

Stiffness of the ventricle that prevents it from filling properly with blood during diastole, leading to inadequate blood flow.

Frank-Starling Mechanism

The principle that states an increased volume of blood in the heart before contraction leads to stronger contractions, up to a certain point.

Ventricular Hypertrophy

Enlargement of the heart muscle due to chronic workload stress, which can cause diastolic or systolic heart failure over time.

Backward Failure

A condition where blood backs up in the heart due to ineffective pumping, causing congestion and swelling (oedema) in various body parts.

Forward Failure

A condition in which insufficient blood is delivered to the organs, leading to dysfunction and, ultimately, organ failure.

Compensatory Mechanisms

The body's responses to heart failure, such as increased heart rate or fluid retention, that initially help but can worsen the heart’s condition over time.

Atrial Fibrillation

An important complication of heart failure characterized by irregular heartbeats, often due to the enlargement of the atria.

Ischemia

A reduction in blood supply to the heart muscle resulting from inadequate capillary growth during hypertrophy, potentially leading to chest pain or heart attack.

Oedema

Swelling caused by excess fluid accumulation in tissues, commonly observed in patients with heart failure due to fluid overload and poor circulation.

Orthopnoea

Difficulty breathing when lying down, a symptom of left-sided heart failure caused by pulmonary congestion.

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnoea

Sudden difficulty in breathing that occurs at night, typically due to pulmonary congestion related to heart failure.