'Congestive HF Informational Section'

What is Congestive Heart Failure?
Congestive Heart Failure occurs when the heart's pumping action causes a buildup
of fluid called congestion in your lungs and other body tissues.

How your heart works: • Oxygen-poor blood flows from the body into the right atrium.
• Blood flows through the right atrium into the right ventricle. • The right ventricle pumps the blood to the lungs,
where the blood releases waste gases and picks up oxygen. • The newly oxygen-rich blood returns to the heart and enters the left atrium. • Blood flows through the left atrium into the left ventricle. • The left ventricle pumps the oxygen-rich blood to all parts of the body.


This can result from: • narrowed arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle — coronary artery disease.
• past heart attack or hypertension (high BP). • heart valve disease due to past rheumatic fever or other causes.
• primary disease of the heart muscle itself, called cardiomyopathy. • heart defects present at birth — congenital heart defects. • infection of the heart valves and/or heart muscle itself.


Some ways of prevention: • Blood pressure control • Smoking cessation • Weight reduction • Exercise • Lipid lowering • Aspirin prophylaxis • Surgery • Alcohol abstention • ACE inhibitor therapy


We hope our information will be of help to you and your loved ones.

CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN FOR A PROPER DIAGNOSIS