What is Congestive Heart Failure and how does it affect me?
Congestive heart failure is not a disease but a condition that occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. When the heart fails, it is unable to pump out all the blood that enters its chambers. Physicians use a calculation called ejection fraction, which is the percentage of blood pumped out during each heartbeat, to determine the rate of blood flow in the heart. An ejection fraction of 50 percent to 75 percent is normal. In most cases of congestive heart failure, the left side of the heart fails, causing systolic dysfunction, which causes fluid to accumulate in the lungs. The ejection fraction in such cases falls below 40 percent; severe failure may drop as low as 5 percent. In cases of right-sided heart failure, which is less common, fluid entering the heart backs up, causing the veins in the body and tissues surrounding them to stretch. Physicians can often make a preliminary diagnosis of heart failure by reviewing the patient’s medical histor
Related Questions
- What if I have limited dental benefits available through my Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) Plan? How does this affect my MetLife dental claims?
- How will the Microsoft Kerberos implementation affect my access to non-Microsoft Kerberos services?
- How does wilderness designation in a park affect people?
