Congestive Heart Failure Specialist

What Is Congestive Heart Failure?

Sometimes simply known as “heart failure,” this is a condition that occurs when the heart muscle fails to pump blood as optimally as it should. Some conditions like coronary artery disease, a narrowing of the arteries in the heart, and hypertension (high blood pressure) can leave the heart too stiff or weak to pump and fill efficiently. These conditions and others often lead to congestive heart failure.

While not all heart failure conditions can be fully reversed, the doctor can recommend treatments that will improve symptoms of heart failure, which improve a patient’s quality of life. She may also recommend lifestyle changes such as managing stress, losing weight, exercising and reducing salt.

What Are Some Symptoms to Look for?

Congestive heart failure can be ongoing (chronic), or it can appear suddenly (acute). The following symptoms may or not indicate heart failure, but should any these become chronic, they should be reported to a person’s physician as soon as possible. Chronic symptoms that can indicate heart failure include:

• Dyspnea or shortness of breath after lying down or physical exertion.
• Edema or swelling in the legs, ankles and feet.
• Fatigue and weakness.
• Reduced ability to exercise.
• Irregular or rapid or heartbeat.
• Persistent cough wheezing with pink or white blood-tinged phlegm.
• Increased urination at night.
• Ascites or swelling of the abdomen.
• Sudden weight gain caused by fluid retention.
• Nausea and loss of appetite.
• Decreased alertness or difficulty concentrating.
• Severe shortness of breath and coughing up pink, foamy mucus.
• Chest pain.

How Does a Doctor Diagnose Heart Failure?

Steps a doctor takes in determining if congestive heart failure is present in a patient include a thorough medical history, review of the patient’s symptoms, a complete physical examination and generally one or more of the following tests:

• Blood tests
• Chest X-ray
• Electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Stress test
• Cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Coronary angiogram
• Myocardial biopsyK