What Is It?

What is CHF?

Now that we have learned about the normal heart and how it works, let's learn more about CHF. As the saying goes: the more you learn the more you know.

I have heart failure; what does this mean? Heart failure means that your heart cannot pump blood to the rest of your body as well as it should. The heart muscle must work harder to do the job. Heart failure develops overtime. It can affect the right side, left side, or both sides of the heart.

Common causes of CHF:

		Uncontrolled high blood pressure
		Heart Attacks
		Too much alcohol
		Viral infection of the heart

How does my doctor know I have CHF?

		Physical exam
		Medical History
		Echocardiogram-To look at the heart and the way it pumps blood
		Stress test-Helps the doctor to know what is causing your heart failure.
		Heart Catheterization-Done in the hospital. Dye is put in your blood and x-ray pictures of your heart are taken while the dye travels through it.

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Last modified: 11/16/05

What are symptoms of CHF?

		Shortness of breath that occurs during rest or simple activities. In fact you may notice having to sleep on more pillows just to "catch your breath."
		Tired- not having the energy to do what you normally do.
		Weight gain-usually this goes along with the other symptoms.
		Lack of appetite-"I'm just not hungry."
		Coughing-frequent coughing that makes white or pink frothy mucus.

The Heart Failure Society of America has an easy way to recognize CHF:

Fatigue

Activities Limited

Chest Congestion

Edema or Ankle swelling

Shortness of Breath

Go to: http://www.abouthf.org/_downloads/faces_card.pdf