What Happens in Congestive Heart Failure?
Poor pumping of the left ventricle raises the blood pressure in the ventricle during the short rest period between heart contractions. It also causes increased blood pressure in the lungs. Small amounts of blood plasma are forced out of the lung’s blood vessels into the lung tissue. In mild cases, the only symptom may be shortness of breath with exertion. In severe cases, the fluid fills the lung’s air sacs and causes severe shortness of breath and cough, even when you are resting or lying down to sleep. Over time, the increased pressure in the lungs affects the pumping ability of the right ventricle. The blood pressure in the veins rises. Eventually, the diseased or damaged left ventricle is unable to pump enough blood to the rest of the body. Other organs in the body, particularly the kidneys, sense this decrease in blood flow and attempt to make up for it by increasing the volume of blood. The combination of poor pumping by the heart and the extra fluid in the blood vessels leads to
