Heart Failure Overview

Heart Failure (HF)

• HF is an abnormal condition where the heart struggles to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.
• It's characterized by ventricular dysfunction, reduced exercise tolerance, decreased quality of life, and shorter lifespan.
• Insufficient cardiac output (CO) is a key feature.

Systolic Failure

• A hallmark of systolic failure is a decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (EF).
• Causes include impaired contractile function (e.g., myocardial infarction), increased afterload (e.g., high blood pressure), cardiomyopathy, and mechanical abnormalities (e.g., valve disease).

Diastolic Failure

• Diastolic failure results from the ventricles' impaired ability to relax and fill during diastole.
• This leads to decreased stroke volume and cardiac output (CO).
• Diagnosis often involves signs like pulmonary congestion, pulmonary hypertension, ventricular hypertrophy, and a normal ejection fraction (EF).

HF Etiology and Pathophysiology

• Mixed systolic and diastolic failure can occur, especially in conditions like dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
• Low ejection fractions (EFs) are often observed in various HF cases.