Managing Congestive Heart Failure.....

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Over five and a half million Americans are living with CHF. By 2030 that number is expected to rise above 8 million. One out of nine deaths are caused by CHF and over 50% of patients diagnosed with CHF are dead within five years. So let's dig in and learn more about prevention and care. 

Your heart functions by pumping blood through their heart then throughout your body. The blood carries oxygen and nutrients via these arteries to all of your organs. The blood returns to your heart via veins where it is pumped through the heart to be re-oxygenated. Then begin the cycle again to the rest of your body. 

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Your heart consists of four chambers, two atriums on the top and two ventricles on the bottom. These chambers fill with blood then contract to squeeze the heart to the next chamber or system. In a circulatory cycle ejection fraction is amount of blood ejected from each chamber. Normal EF is 50% to 70%, not one hundred percent because some of the blood remains in the chamber as the rest is pumped out. 

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CHF is defined as a clinical syndrome that results from some problem to the heart which impairs the ventricle's ability to eject blood or the chambers to fill with blood either. The heart is not strong enough to contract and push all the blood out or it doesn't relax enough to completely fill with enough blood. 

Causes of congestive heart failure or heart attacks are high blood pressure, abnormal heart valves, lung disease, diabetes, low blood count, thyroid disease, heart arrhythmias or drugs such as cocaine and alcohol. 

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Congestive heart failure means the heart is not pumping as it should and causes the blood to back up into the lungs this causes congestion in the lungs which makes breathing harder. The heart then cannot supply the organs with sufficient oxygen or nutrients. 

The top two types of heart failure are systolic and diastolic. Systolic has a weakened elf and cannot push enough blood out of the heart to circulate the body. Diagnostic heart failure has a normal EF but cannot fill the chamber with enough blood to due to the weakness. 

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Signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure are shortness of breath, weakness and fatigue, the shortness of breath at night, the need for more pillows when you're sleeping, coughing or wheezing, swelling of your feet and your legs, weight gain, anorexia or loss of appetite. 

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With right-sided heart failure causing the blood to pull in the body and left-sided heart failure causes fluid to pull in the lungs. Right-sided heart failures have peripheral venous pressure, fatigue, distended, jugular veins and also some edema or swelling in your legs. Left-sided heart failure has shortness of breath, confusion, restlessness, fatigue or your lips may become blue as well as their fingertips.

The morning signs of congestive heart failure are increased heart rate, increased breathing, swelling in your hands or feet, weight gain or can be caused from not taking your medications regularly. 

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Treatments for congestive heart failure: Lifestyle changes, monitoring any changes in your body, listen to your body, medications, defibrillators or surgeries such as a cardiac or heart transplant.

To improve cardiac congestive heart failure is exercise, a low salt diet, weight loss, avoid smoking, monitor your fluid intake and also monitoring disease, such as body weight, swelling, medication and signs and symptoms. 

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Exercise is very important in prevention and maintaining congestive heart failure. Always start slow and build up gradually. Monitor your weight for fluid. Weight gain can indicate, the body is retaining fluid which can be detrimental for a person with congestive heart failure.

The medication that saves lives are vasodilators beta blockers or aldosterone antagonists. Your doctor may prescribe these. 

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So live healthy, eat healthy, be active and exercise, monitor your salt or sodium intake and check your weight regularly. Stop smoking and listen to your body, be aware of any symptoms and speak with your doctor about those. Take charge of your health and consult a physician if needed. ( Stephanie Morgan the nurse and manager of non-invasive cardiac studies at Tanner Health Systems)

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