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What is heart failure?
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Heart Failure
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Heart Failure (Definition)
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Related terms:
arrhythmia
heart tamponade
endocarditis
heart aneurysm
cardiac arrest
heart disease
cardiomegaly
heart neoplasm
heart valve disorder
Disease or Syndrome
heart failure Audio
heart fail·ure
Subclass of:
Heart Diseases
Also called:
Cardiac failure; CHF; Congestive heart failure; Left-sided heart failure; Right-sided heart failure
Definitions related to heart failure:
  • A clinical condition in which the function of the heart is inadequate to meet the metabolic needs of the body.
    ACC/AHA Clinical Data Terminology
    American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association , 2020
  • A heterogeneous condition in which the heart is unable to pump out sufficient blood to meet the metabolic need of the body. Heart failure can be caused by structural defects, functional abnormalities (VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION), or a sudden overload beyond its capacity. Chronic heart failure is more common than acute heart failure which results from sudden insult to cardiac function, such as MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop working. It means that your heart is not able to pump blood the way it should. It can affect one or both sides of the heart. The weakening of the heart's pumping ability causes Blood and fluid to back up into the lungs; The buildup of fluid in the feet, ankles and legs - called edema; Tiredness and shortness of breath. Common causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. It is more common in people who are 65 years old or older, African Americans, people who are overweight, and people who have had a heart attack. Men have a higher rate of heart failure than women. Your doctor will diagnose heart failure by doing a physical exam and heart tests. Treatment includes treating the underlying cause of your heart failure, medicines, and heart transplantation if other treatments fail. NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
    MedlinePlus
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • Inability of the heart to meet tissue metabolic requirements.
    NICHD Pediatric Terminology
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Inability of the heart to pump blood at an adequate rate to meet tissue metabolic requirements. Clinical symptoms of heart failure include: unusual dyspnea on light exertion, recurrent dyspnea occurring in the supine position, fluid retention or rales, jugular venous distension, pulmonary edema on physical exam, or pulmonary edema on chest x-ray presumed to be cardiac dysfunction.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • The inability of the heart to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body's organs.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • A disorder characterized by the inability of the heart to pump blood at an adequate volume to meet tissue metabolic requirements, or, the ability to do so only at an elevation in the filling pressure.
    Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events
    U.S. National Institutes of Health, 2021
  • Heart failure (HF) is a syndrome of ventricular dysfunction. Left ventricular failure causes shortness of breath and fatigue, and right ventricular failure causes peripheral and abdominal fluid accumulation; the ventricles can be involved together or separately. Diagnosis is initially clinical, supported by chest x-ray, echocardiography,...
    Merck Manuals
    Merck & Co., Inc., 2020
  • Heart failure develops when the heart, via an abnormality of cardiac function (detectable or not), fails to pump blood at a rate commensurate with the requirements of the metabolizing tissues or is able to do so only with an elevated diastolic filling pressure. See the image below.
    Medscape
    WebMD, 2019
  • Heart failure, sometimes known as congestive heart failure, occurs when your heart muscle doesn't pump blood as well as it should. Certain conditions, such as narrowed arteries in your heart (coronary artery disease) or high blood pressure, gradually leave your heart too weak or stiff to fill and pump efficiently.
    Mayo Clinic
    Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
  • Heart failure, general condition in which the heart muscle does not contract and relax effectively, thereby reducing the performance of the heart as a pump and compromising blood circulation throughout the body. Heart failure is a major public health concern in countries worldwide. Although...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.

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