What is Heart Failure?

Changes seen with heart failure

Inside the normal heart

the walls of the heart stretch and the chambers dilate

the walls of the heart thicken

Heart failure affects some 4.6 million Americans. Roughly 550,000 people are diagnosed with heart failure each year. It is the leading cause of hospitalization in people older than 65.

Heart failure means that the heart's pumping power is weaker than normal. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped working.

With heart failure, blood moves through the heart and body less efficiently, and pressure in the heart increases. Therefore, the heart cannot pump enough oxygen and nutrients to meet the body's needs. The chambers of the heart respond by stretching to hold more blood to pump through the body. This helps to keep the blood moving for a short while, but then the heart muscle walls weaken and are not able to pump as strongly. The kidneys often respond by causing the body to retain fluid (water) and sodium (salt).

If fluid builds up in the arms, legs, ankles, feet, lungs or other organs, the body becomes congested, and congestive heart failure is the term used to describe this condition.

Click here to learn about the normal heart and blood vessels.

Click here to learn more about heart failure, it's diagnosis and treatment options.