Congestive Heart Failure:

A complex clinical syndrome occurs as an end result of a variety of heart diseases.

The condition in which the heart functions less efficiently than normal due to various reasons, blood moves systemically slower, and the pressure in the heart increases. As a result, the muscles in the heart become weak and stiff, unable to fill and pump efficiently, further causing a backflow of fluid.

Can be either left or right sided HF or both.

1. Left sided heart failure: -- Blood pools and congests in a backward effect via left atria into pulmonary veins and capillaries

Signs and symptoms: restlessness, confusion, tachycardia, fatigue, pulmonary congestion, orthopnoea, decreased saturations, increased respiratory rate.

2. Right sided heart failure: -- Fluid pools and causes backwards effects resulting in increased hydrostatic pressure within peripheral circulation, fluid shifts causing peripheral oedema.

Signs and symptoms: fatigue, increased peripheral venous pressure, Enlarged liver and spleen, anorexia and complaints of GI distress, weight gain, peripheral oedema.

Causes: impaired ability of myocardial fibres to contract and relax.

• Uncontrolled hypertension

• Coronary artery disease (CAD)

• Atrial fibrillation (AF)

• Mitral/ aortic valve dysfunction

Treatment: aims to relieve symptoms, improve exercise tolerance, reduce the incidence of acute exacerbations, and reduce mortality.

Lifestyle treatment: stop smoking, monitor weight and maintain a healthy weight, eat a healthy restricted sodium diet (increased sodium leads to oedema as sodium draws fluid into cells),