What is Congestive Heart Failure?

Congestive heart failure is a serious condition that develops gradually over time. It occurs when the heart doesn’t pump efficiently, causing fluid to build up in your lungs, ankles, feet, arms, and/or around other organs.

Congestive heart failure is a type of heart failure that requires timely medical assistance to ensure positive patient outcomes. During congestive heart failure, the heart slows the flow of blood, causing it to back up in the veins and create congestion in the tissue. This congestion leads to swelling around the arms, legs, and organs.

Heart Failure vs Congestive Heart Failure

Though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there are different variations of heart failure. Congestive heart failure doesn’t necessarily mean your heart is failing, but early detection and recognizing risk factors can determine your prognosis and life expectancy. Nearly 6 million Americans have heart failure. It is the leading cause of hospitalization in people 65 and older.

There is no cure for heart failure, and treatment depends on the stage of heart failure you are in. The New York Heart Association Classification groups heart failure stages into four categories:

• Class I – No symptoms and no limitation in ordinary physical activity, e.g. shortness of breath when walking, climbing stairs, etc.
• Class II – Mild symptoms (mild shortness of breath and/or angina) and slight limitation during ordinary activity.
• Class III – Marked limitation in activity due to symptoms, even during less-than-ordinary activity, e.g. walking short distances. Comfortable only at rest.
• Class IV – Severe limitations. Experiences symptoms even while at rest. Mostly bedbound patients.

Patients in Class I may only need medications and cardiac rehabilitation, whereas Class IV treatment may involve heart transplant surgery, palliative or hospice care when all other treatments fail. Early diagnosis is critical to preventing heart failure from progressing, and improving your quality of life.

What Causes Congestive Heart Failure?

There are many conditions and risk factors that can damage the heart and cause heart failure. The most common include:

• Coronary artery disease
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol levels
• Obesity/being overweight
• Certain chemotherapy medications
• Heart defects or issues present at birth

Diagnosis and Treatment Options

Your physician will perform a physical examination to look for signs of congestive heart failure. They may also order the following tests and procedures to diagnose congestive heart failure:

• Bloodwork
• Cardiac catheterization
• X-ray
• Echocardiogram
• MRI
• EKG
• Stress test

Living with Heart Failure

A heart failure diagnosis can be emotional and cause feelings of depression and stress. It’s important to remember that with the right care and treatment, people are still able to live with the condition and do the things they enjoy. Monitoring your symptoms, checking in regularly with your physician, following the recommended treatment plan and staying positive can help.

Our award winning cardiac care team offers the latest advancements in treatment and therapies. We are proud to be a regional leader in cardiac care, and nationally recognized for cardiac surgery. We are the first center in WNY to have performed cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) implant surgery, a device-based therapy for patients with heart failure.

 

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