WHAT IS HEART FAILURE?
What is heart failure?
Heart failure is a condition where the heart muscle weakens and is not able to pump blood efficiently. The term heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped pumping, but your heart muscle can’t pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs.
During heart failure the heart attempts to compensate for the lost pumping capacity, which can alter its shape and result in disorganized (or unsynchronized) and inefficient heartbeats.
Risk factors
CARDIOVASCULAR
- Coronary artery disease.
- Tachycardia (e.g. atrial fibrillation)
- Bradycardia (e.g. third-degree atrioventricular block)
- Uncontrolled hypertension or hypertensive crisis
- Myocarditis
- Acute pulmonary embolism
- Acute valvular insufficiency (e.g. endocarditis, myocardial infarction)
- Aortic dissection
- Cardiac tamponade
NON-CARDIOVASCULAR
- Infections and febrile states
- Exacerbation of COPD or asthma
- Kidney dysfunction
- Anemia
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism
- Exhausting exercise
- Emotional tension
- Pregnancy (Peripartum cardiomyopathy)
CARDIOVASCULAR
- Coronary artery disease.
- Tachycardia (e.g. atrial fibrillation)
- Bradycardia (e.g. third-degree atrioventricular block)
- Uncontrolled hypertension or hypertensive crisis
- Myocarditis
- Acute pulmonary embolism
- Acute valvular insufficiency (e.g. endocarditis, myocardial infarction)
- Aortic dissection
- Cardiac tamponade
NON-CARDIOVASCULAR
- Infections and febrile states
- Exacerbation of COPD or asthma
- Kidney dysfunction
- Anemia
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism
- Exhausting exercise
- Emotional tension
- Pregnancy (Peripartum cardiomyopathy)
The heart failure (HF) Challenge
One in 5 people
can expect to live with HF at some point in their lives1
1 https://www.hfpolicynetwork.org/project/the-handbook/
Heart Failure is the number 1 cause of
unplanned admissions1
3https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-failure/what-is-heart-failure
HF patients have a diminished quality of life, problem with daily activities 3 and increased
anxiety.4
4Vongmany J, et al. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2016;15:478-485
Heart failure symptoms
Heart failure is a progressive condition, which means it will gradually worsen. At first, you may not experience any symptoms, but as time elapses your heart’s pumping ability will continue to weaken, and you may experience some or all of the following symptoms:
What causes HEART FAILURE?
Heart failure usually develops slowly after a heart injury. There is no single cause and it is often unknown. Some of the most common causes of heart failure are:
- Previous heart attack (myocardial infarction)
- Coronary artery disease
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Heart valve disease
- Infection of the heart (Myocarditis)
- Congenital heart disease (condition you are born with)
- Endocarditis (infection of the inner lining of the heart)
- Diabetes (the body does not properly produce or use insulin)
When discussing with your doctor, you may want to use this document to help guide the conversation
When discussing with your doctor, you may want to use this document to help guide the conversation