Failure of the heart to provide sufficient blood flow
Medical condition
Heart failure Other names Congestive heart failure (CHF), congestive cardiac failure (CCF)[ 1] [ 2] A man with congestive heart failure and marked jugular venous distension . External jugular vein marked by an arrow. Specialty Cardiology Symptoms Shortness of breath , exhaustion , swollen legs [ 3] Complications Cardiac arrest Duration Lifetime Causes Heart attack , high blood pressure , abnormal heart rhythm , excessive alcohol use , infection, heart damage[ 4] Risk factors Smoking, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, exposure to second-hand smoke[ 5] Diagnostic method Echocardiogram [ 6] Differential diagnosis Kidney failure, thyroid disease, liver disease, anemia, obesity[ 7] Medication Diuretics , cardiac medications[ 4] [ 6] Frequency 40 million (2015),[ 8] 1–2% of adults (developed countries)[ 6] [ 9] Deaths 35% risk of death in the first year[ 10]
Heart failure (HF ), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF ), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart 's ability to fill with and pump blood .
Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically presents with shortness of breath , excessive fatigue , and bilateral leg swelling .[ 3] The severity of the heart failure is mainly decided based on ejection fraction and also measured by the severity of symptoms.[ 7] Other conditions that have symptoms similar to heart failure include obesity , kidney failure , liver disease , anemia , and thyroid disease .[ 7]
Common causes of heart failure include coronary artery disease , heart attack , high blood pressure , atrial fibrillation , valvular heart disease , excessive alcohol consumption , infection , and cardiomyopathy .[ 4] [ 6] These cause heart failure by altering the structure or the function of the heart or in some cases both.[ 6] There are different types of heart failure: right-sided heart failure , which affects the right heart , left-sided heart failure , which affects the left heart , and biventricular heart failure, which affects both sides of the heart.[ 11] Left-sided heart failure may be present with a reduced ejection fraction or with a preserved ejection fraction .[ 10] Heart failure is not the same as cardiac arrest , in which blood flow stops completely due to the failure of the heart to pump.[ 12] [ 13]
Diagnosis is based on symptoms, physical findings, and echocardiography .[ 6] Blood tests , and a chest x-ray may be useful to determine the underlying cause.[ 14] Treatment depends on severity and case.[ 15] For people with chronic, stable, or mild heart failure, treatment usually consists of lifestyle changes, such as not smoking , physical exercise , and dietary changes, as well as medications.[ 16] [ 17] [ 18] In heart failure due to left ventricular dysfunction, angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors , angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), or angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors , along with beta blockers , mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists and SGLT2 inhibitors are recommended.[ 6] Diuretics may also be prescribed to prevent fluid retention and the resulting shortness of breath.[ 19] Depending on the case, an implanted device such as a pacemaker or implantable cardiac defibrillator may sometimes be recommended.[ 15] In some moderate or more severe cases, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)[ 20] or cardiac contractility modulation may be beneficial.[ 21] In severe disease that persists despite all other measures, a cardiac assist device ventricular assist device , or, occasionally, heart transplantation may be recommended.[ 19]
Heart failure is a common, costly, and potentially fatal condition,[ 22] and is the leading cause of hospitalization and readmission in older adults.[ 23] [ 24] Heart failure often leads to more drastic health impairments than the failure of other, similarly complex organs such as the kidneys or liver.[ 25] In 2015, it affected about 40 million people worldwide.[ 8] Overall, heart failure affects about 2% of adults,[ 22] and more than 10% of those over the age of 70.[ 6] Rates are predicted to increase.[ 22]
The risk of death in the first year after diagnosis is about 35%, while the risk of death in the second year is less than 10% in those still alive.[ 10] The risk of death is comparable to that of some cancers.[ 10] In the United Kingdom, the disease is the reason for 5% of emergency hospital admissions.[ 10] Heart failure has been known since ancient times in Egypt ; it is mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus around 1550 BCE.[ 26]
^ Harrison RN, Daly L (2011). A Nurse's Survival Guide to Acute Medical Emergencies . Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7020-4900-2 . Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2020 .
^ "Congestive heart failure (CHF)" . Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2018 .
^ a b National Guideline Centre (UK) (September 2018). "2. Introduction". Chronic Heart Failure in Adults: Diagnosis and Management . National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Guidelines. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). ISBN 978-1-4731-3093-7 . PMID 30645061 . Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023 .
^ a b c Cite error: The named reference AHA2022
was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).
^ Skipina TM, Upadhya B, Soliman EZ (July 2021). Munafò M (ed.). "Secondhand Smoke Exposure is Associated with Prevalent Heart Failure: Longitudinal Examination of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey". Nicotine & Tobacco Research . 23 (9). Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco : 1512–1517. doi :10.1093/ntr/ntab047 . eISSN 1469-994X . LCCN 00244999 . PMID 34213549 . S2CID 235707832 .
^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference ESC2021
was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).
^ a b c Chronic Heart Failure: National Clinical Guideline for Diagnosis and Management in Primary and Secondary Care: Partial Update . National Clinical Guideline Centre. August 2010. pp. 38–70. PMID 22741186 .
^ a b GBD 2015 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators (October 2016). "Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015" . Lancet . 388 (10053): 1545–1602. doi :10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31678-6 . PMC 5055577 . PMID 27733282 .
^ Cite error: The named reference Lancet2005
was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).
^ a b c d e National Clinical Guideline Centre (UK) (August 2010). Chronic heart failure: National clinical guideline for diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care: Partial update . National Clinical Guideline Centre. pp. 19–24. PMID 22741186 .
^ "What is Heart Failure?" . www.heart.org . Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022 .
^ Willard & Spackman's occupational therapy . Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2014. p. 1124. ISBN 978-1-4511-1080-7 .
^ The Cardiac Care Unit Survival Guide . Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2012. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-4511-7746-6 .
^ National Guideline Centre (UK) (September 2018). "1. Guideline summary". Chronic Heart Failure in Adults: Diagnosis and Management . National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Guidelines. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). ISBN 978-1-4731-3093-7 . PMID 30645061 . Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023 .
^ a b Chronic Heart Failure: National Clinical Guideline for Diagnosis and Management in Primary and Secondary Care: Partial Update . National Clinical Guideline Centre. August 2010. pp. 34–47. PMID 22741186 .
^ National Guideline Centre (UK) (September 2018). "6. Treating heart failure". Chronic Heart Failure in Adults: Diagnosis and Management . National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Guidelines. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). ISBN 978-1-4731-3093-7 . PMID 30645061 . Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023 .
^ National Guideline Centre (UK) (September 2018). "7. Rehabilitation in chronic heart failure". Chronic Heart Failure in Adults: Diagnosis and Management . National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Guidelines. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). ISBN 978-1-4731-3093-7 . PMID 30645061 . Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023 .
^ Molloy C, Long L, Mordi IR, Bridges C, Sagar VA, Davies EJ, et al. (March 2024). "Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for adults with heart failure". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews . 2024 (3): CD003331. doi :10.1002/14651858.CD003331.pub6 . PMC 10919451. PMID 38451843 .
^ a b Chronic Heart Failure: National Clinical Guideline for Diagnosis and Management in Primary and Secondary Care: Partial Update . National Clinical Guideline Centre. August 2010. pp. 71–153. PMID 22741186 .
^ Tracy CM, Epstein AE, Darbar D, DiMarco JP, Dunbar SB, Estes NA, et al. (October 2012). "2012 ACCF/AHA/HRS focused update of the 2008 guidelines for device-based therapy of cardiac rhythm abnormalities: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society. [corrected]" . Circulation . 126 (14): 1784–800. doi :10.1161/CIR.0b013e3182618569 . PMID 22965336 .
^ Kuck KH, Bordachar P, Borggrefe M, Boriani G, Burri H, Leyva F, et al. (January 2014). "New devices in heart failure: a European Heart Rhythm Association report: developed by the European Heart Rhythm Association; endorsed by the Heart Failure Association" . Europace . 16 (1): 109–28. doi :10.1093/europace/eut311 . PMID 24265466 .
^ a b c Metra M, Teerlink JR (October 2017). "Heart failure". Lancet . 390 (10106): 1981–1995. doi :10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31071-1 . PMID 28460827 . S2CID 34893221 .
^ Retrum JH, Boggs J, Hersh A, Wright L, Main DS, Magid DJ, et al. (March 2013). "Patient-identified factors related to heart failure readmissions" . Circulation. Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes . 6 (2): 171–177. doi :10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.112.967356 . PMC 4082819 . PMID 23386663 .
^ Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM, Benjamin EJ, Berry JD, Borden WB, et al. (January 2012). "Heart disease and stroke statistics--2012 update: a report from the American Heart Association" . Circulation . 125 (1): e2–e220. doi :10.1161/cir.0b013e31823ac046 . PMC 4440543 . PMID 22179539 .
^ "Do we expect the body to be a "One Hoss Shay"?" . The Evolution and Medicine Review . 16 March 2010. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022 .
^ McDonagh TA (2011). Oxford textbook of heart failure . Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-19-957772-9 . Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2021 .