Heart Failure Overview and Types

Heart Failure (HF)

• HF is an abnormal condition where the heart struggles to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.
• This leads to reduced ability to exercise, lower quality of life and shorter life expectancy.
• A key characteristic is impaired ventricular function.

Systolic Failure

• A hallmark of systolic failure is a decrease in the left ventricular ejection fraction (EF).
• Causes include issues with the heart muscle's ability to contract (e.g., a previous heart attack), high blood pressure increasing resistance to blood flow (afterload), cardiomyopathy, or valve problems.

Diastolic Failure

• Diastolic failure occurs when the ventricles have impaired relaxation and filling during diastole.
• This results in decreased stroke volume and cardiac output.
• Diagnosing diastolic failure involves looking for signs such as lung congestion, high blood pressure in the lungs, thickened heart muscle, and a normal ejection fraction (EF).

Mixed Systolic and Diastolic Failure

• Some conditions, like dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), can present with a combination of systolic and diastolic HF.
• These situations often result in poor ejection fractions.