Heart failure
hideHeart failure (HF) is a condition in which a problem with the structure or function of the heart impairs its ability to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body's needs. It should not be confused with cardiac arrest (see Terminology, below).
Common causes of heart failure include myocardial infarction and other forms of ischemic heart disease, hypertension, valvular heart disease and cardiomyopathy. Heart failure can cause a large variety of symptoms such as shortness of breath (typically worse when lying flat, which is called orthopnea), coughing, ankle swelling and reduced exercise capacity. Heart failure is often undiagnosed due to a lack of a universally agreed definition and challenges in definitive diagnosis. Treatment commonly consists of lifestyle measures (such as decreased salt intake) and medications, and sometimes devices or even surgery.
Heart failure is a common, costly, disabling and deadly condition. In developing countries, around 2% of adults suffer from heart failure, but in those over the age of 65, this increases to 6—10%. Mostly due to costs of hospitalization, it is associated with a high health expenditure; costs have been estimated to amount to 2% of the total budget of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, and more than $35 billion in the United States. Heart failure is associated with significantly reduced physical and mental health, resulting in a markedly decreased quality of life. With the exception of heart failure caused by reversible conditions, the condition usually worsens with time. Although some patients survive many years, progressive disease is associated with an overall annual mortality rate of 10%.
For more information about Heart failure, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with cardiac failure
Importance of preventing congestion in heart failure
Jun 04, 2009 |
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Preventing vascular congestion is an important mediator in heart failure, reports a study in the June issue of the Journal of Cardiac Failure.
Sleep Apnea May Not Be Closely Linked to Heart Failure Severity
May 06, 2009 |
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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA) are not markedly decreased in heart failure (HF) patients managed with beta-blockers and spironolactone, reports a study in the March issue of Journal of Cardiac Fai ...
New specialty to focus on advanced heart failure and heart transplantation
Mar 05, 2009 |
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The new medical subspecialty of Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology will lead the way in providing technically advanced yet cost-effective care for patients with heart failure, says a perspective article in the ...
Heart failure linked to cognitive impairment
Feb 05, 2009 |
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Nearly half of patients with heart failure (HF) have problems with memory and other aspects of cognitive functioning, reports a new study published by Elsevier, in the February issue of Journal of Cardiac Failure .
Search results for cardiac failure
New therapy found to prevent heart failure
Jun 23, 2009 |
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A landmark study has successfully demonstrated a 29 percent reduction in heart failure or death in patients with heart disease who received an implanted cardiac resynchronization therapy device with defibrillator (CRT-D) ...
New hope for heart failure patients: Cardiac resynchronization
Sep 01, 2009 |
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A therapy called cardiac resynchronization can significantly delay the progression of heart failure, according to a major international study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Heart failure treated 'in the brain'
Mar 25, 2008 |
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Beta-blockers heal the heart via the brain when administered during heart failure, according to a new study by UCL (University College London). Up to now, it was thought that beta-blockers work directly on the heart, but ...
Implantable defibrillators may not benefit women with heart failure
Sep 14, 2009 |
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Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators do not appear to be associated with a reduced risk of death in women with advanced heart failure, according to a meta-analysis of previously published research in the September 14 issue ...
Researchers examine developing hearts in chickens to find solutions for human heart abnormalities (Video)
Jan 21, 2009 |
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When it is head versus heart, the heart comes first. The heart is the first organ to develop and is critical in supplying blood to the rest of the body. Yet, little is known about the complex processes that regulate the heartbeat. ...
Inhibition of GRK2 is protective against acute cardiac stress injuries
Nov 17, 2009 |
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Inhibition of a protein known to contribute to heart failure also appears to be protective of the heart in more acute cardiac stress injury, namely ischemia reperfusion, according to two studies conducted at the Center for ...
Adults with aortic valve disorder do not experience reduction in survival rate
Sep 16, 2008 |
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Young adults with a bicuspid aortic valve, a congenital heart abnormality, experience subsequent cardiac events but do not appear to have lower survival rates compared to the general population, according to a study in the ...
Screening for left ventricular dysfunction may have less value than thought
Jun 11, 2009 |
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The value and cost-effectiveness of screening for left ventricular (LV) dysfunction remains unclear, particularly since specific, evidence-based treatments are not available for the majority of patients with preserved systolic ...
Cardiac devices and advanced heart failure: Are we selecting the wrong patients?
Jun 07, 2008 |
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Patients with advanced heart failure may be receiving implantable cardiac devices that do not help them because they are too ill to benefit from the treatment, a Saint Louis University study found.
Early heart attack therapy with bone marrow extract improves cardiac function
Jun 29, 2009 |
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A UCSF study for the treatment of heart failure after heart attack found that the extract derived from bone marrow cells is as effective as therapy using bone marrow stem cells for improving cardiac function, decreasing the ...
List of search results for cardiac failure
