Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

Definition

• Congestive heart failure is a condition characterized by the heart's inability to supply blood to all parts of the body according to their needs.

Heart Anatomy and Function

• The heart consists of four chambers:
  • Right Atrium
  • Right Ventricle
  • Left Atrium
  • Left Ventricle
• Left Ventricle: Pumps blood throughout the body via the aorta.
• Right Ventricle: Pumps blood mainly into pulmonary circulation (lungs).
• Blood flow:
  • From lungs to left atrium → left ventricle → pumped to the body.
  • Blood enters right atrium through superior and inferior vena cava.

Consequences of Heart Failure

• Left Ventricular Failure:

  • Inability to pump blood → body parts receive insufficient blood supply.
  • Blood accumulates in the left ventricle and then in the left atrium.
  • Leads to pulmonary edema (fluid accumulation in the lungs).

• Right Ventricular Failure:

  • Blood accumulates in the right ventricle, then in the right atrium.
  • Inferior vena cava (blood from the lower body) leads to blood accumulation in the liver (hepatomegaly).
  • Superior vena cava (blood from the head and neck) leads to increased jugular venous pressure.

Key Terms

• Congestion: Accumulation of fluid in parts of the body due to heart failure.
• Congestive Hepatomegaly: Fluid accumulation in the liver due to heart failure.

Treatment Goals

• Address the two main problems associated with CHF:
  1. Remove excessive fluid accumulation in the body.
  2. Increase the pumping activity of the heart.

Treatment Approaches

• Diuretics: Medications used to remove excess fluid from the body.
• Inotropics: Medications that enhance the heart's pumping activity.