What is congestive heart failure? What are the treatments for it?
Congestive heart failure is a condition characterized by a “weak” heart…a person with CHF has a heart that can’t pump blood efficiently, making it hard for organs and/or extremities to get enough blood. Lots of things can cause it: high blood pressure, hardening/narrowing of the coronary arteries, damage from a heart attack, defects in the heart valves… The reason it’s called “congestive” heart failure is that in a normal heart, blood flows into the heart as other blood flows out in an approximately equal volume, but in a heart suffering from CHF, the blood flow backs up (like a traffic jam). Many people suffering from CHF have swollen tissues, particularly in the legs. Fluid can also build up in the lungs or around the heart itself, which is a more serious problem. Part of this is due to the strain that less-than-efficient circulation puts on the kidneys; if your kidneys can’t maintain a good water/sodium balance, fluid is retained. When fluid builds up in the lungs, the person ha
