Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough oxygenated blood to meet the needs of the body's other organs. The heart keeps pumping, but not as efficiently as a healthy heart. Usually, the loss in the heart's pumping action is a symptom of an underlying heart problem.

Diagnosing CHF

In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, diagnostic procedures for congestive heart failure may include any, or a combination of laboratory tests, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), echocardiogram and nuclear test (MUGA or RNCA).

Treating CHF:

Specific treatment for congestive heart failure will be determined by your physician based on your age, overall health, and medical history, the extent of the disease, your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies, expectations for the course of the disease and your opinion or preference.

The cause of the congestive heart failure will dictate the treatment protocol established. If the heart failure is caused by blockages in the coronary arteries, a procedure or surgery to relieve these blockages may be recommended. If the heart failure is caused by a valve disorder, then surgery may be recommended. If the heart failure is caused by a disease, such as anemia, then the disease is treated. And, although there is no cure for heart failure due to a damaged heart muscle, many forms of treatment have proven to be successful.

The goals of treatment are (1) to improve a person's quality of life by making the appropriate lifestyle changes and implementing drug therapy and (2) to prolong life. Treatment of congestive heart failure may include: controlling risk factors, use of medication, cardiac resynchronization, implantable defibrillator (ICD) and, for the most severe cases, a patient can be referred for heart transplantation.