Heart Failure (Print Version)

Also called: Also called: Cardiac failure, CHF, Left-sided heart failure, Right-sided heart failure

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood throughout the body. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop working. It means that your heart is not able to pump blood the way it should.

The weakening of the heart's pumping ability causes

Blood and fluid to back up into the lungs
The buildup of fluid in the feet, ankles and legs - called edema
Tiredness and shortness of breath

The leading causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Treatment includes treating the underlying cause of your heart failure, medicines, and heart transplantation if other treatments fail.

Heart failure is a serious condition. About 5 million people in the U.S. have heart failure. It contributes to 300,000 deaths each year.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

Congestive Heart Failure(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/congestiveheartfailure/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/congestiveheartfailurespanish/htm/index.htm
Heart Failure(National Institute on Aging) - http://nihseniorhealth.gov/heartfailure/toc.html
Heart Failure(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hf/HF_WhatIs.html

Overviews

Heart Failure(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1486
Heart Failure(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/heart-failure/DS00061/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
JAMA Patient Page: Heart Failure(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/297/22/2548.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/297/22/2548/DC1/1
Learn More about Heart Failure(Heart Failure Society of America) - http://www.abouthf.org/

Latest News

Hidden Salt in Diet Haunts Many with Heart Failure(04/25/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83412.html
Reduce Suffering, Urge Heart Failure Patients and Caregivers(04/24/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83355.html
Fatty Fish May Cut Heart Failure Risk in Men(04/22/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83233.html
Exercise Is Safe, Improves Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure(04/07/2009, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nih.gov/news/health/apr2009/nhlbi-07.htm
Heart Failure Before Age 50 Substantially More Common in Blacks(03/18/2009, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nih.gov/news/health/mar2009/nhlbi-18.htm
More News on Heart Failure http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_h.html#heartfailure

Diagnosis/Symptoms

BNP and NT-proBNP Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/bnp/test.html
Cardiac Biomarkers(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cardiac_biomarkers/glance.html
Cardiac MRI(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/mri/mri_whatis.html
Chest X Ray(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cxray/cxray_whatis.html
Echocardiogram(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/echocardiogram/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/echocardiogramspanish/htm/index.htm
Echocardiography(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/echo/echo_whatis.html
Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ekg/ekg_what.html
Signs and Symptoms of Heart Failure(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=339
Stress Testing(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/stress/stress_whatis.html
Thoracentesis(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/thor/thor_whatis.html

Treatment

ACE Inhibitors(Consumers Union of U.S.) - http://www.consumerreports.org/health/best-buy-drugs/ace-inhibitors.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.consumerreports.org/health/resources/pdf/best-buy-drugs/2pager_SpanishACEIs.pdf
Beta-Blockers(Consumers Union of U.S.) - http://www.consumerreports.org/health/best-buy-drugs/beta_blockers.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.consumerreports.org/health/resources/pdf/best-buy-drugs/2pager_SpanishBBs.pdf
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy(Heart Rhythm Society) - http://www.hrspatients.org/patients/treatments/resync.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.hrspatients.org/patients/espanol/spanish_resynctherapy.pdf
Devices That Keep the Heart Beating(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/features/cardiacdevices013008.html
Medications Commonly Used to Treat Heart Failure(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=118
Surgery and Other Medical Procedures(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=123
Total Artificial Heart(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/tah/tah_what.html
Ventricular Assist Device (VAD)(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/hearthealth/treatments/medicaldevices/vad.html

Prevention/Screening

MedlinePlus: Heart Diseases--Prevention(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartdiseasesprevention.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/heartdiseasesprevention.html

Nutrition

Diet and Nutrition for People with Heart Failure(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1444

Coping

How Can I Live with Heart Failure?(American Heart Association) - Links to PDF - http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1196285111386LiveHeartFailure.pdf

Disease Management

Caregiver's Guide to Heart Failure(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1412
Home Oxygen Therapy(American Association for Respiratory Care) - http://www.yourlunghealth.org/healthy_living/living/home_oxygen_therapy/
Lifestyle and Exercise(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1543
Taking Medications Correctly(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=116
Working with Your Doctor(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1609

Related Issues

Can Patients with Cardiovascular Disease Take Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs?(American Heart Association) - http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/117/17/e322
Flu Shots: Important If You Have Heart Disease(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/flu-shots/HB00086/METHOD=print
Heart Failure: Risk Factors(Heart Rhythm Society) - http://www.hrspatients.org/patients/heart_disorders/heart_failure/risk_factors.asp
Sex and Heart Failure(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=359

Pictures & Photographs

See My Heart Cardiovascular Media Library(American Society of Echocardiography) - http://www.medmovie.com/mmdatabase/MediaPlayer.aspx?ClientID=46&TopicID=701,'_blank','toolbar=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,width=640,height=480','true'

Tutorials

Congestive Heart Failure(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/congestiveheartfailure/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/congestiveheartfailurespanish/htm/index.htm
Echocardiogram(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/echocardiogram/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/echocardiogramspanish/htm/index.htm
Heart Failure(National Institute on Aging) - http://nihseniorhealth.gov/heartfailure/toc.html

Videos

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy for Heart Failure(OR-Live) - One hour program - 3/07/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=417
If I Had - Heart Failure(Insidermedicine) - http://www.insidermedicine.com/archives/If_I_Had_Heart_Failure_Dr_Rebecca_Gary_PhD_RN_Emory_University_3117.aspx?p=mdlnp
Repair of Mitral Valve Regurgitation with an Annuloplasty Ring(OR-Live) - One hour program - 6/28/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=316
Surgical Ventricular Reconstruction(OR-Live) - One hour program - 2/13/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/mom_1872/rnh.cfm?id=694

Anatomy/Physiology

Heart Anatomy(Texas Heart Institute) - http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Anatomy/anatomy2.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Anatomy_Esp/anato_sp.cfm
How the Heart Works(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/hhw/hhw_whatis.html

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Cardiac Output, Low(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Cardiac+Output,+Low%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Failure(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Heart+Failure%22

Research

Abdominal Obesity Associated with Heart Failure in Swedish Middle-Age; Older Adults(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=705
Excess Weight, Inactivity Increase Heart Failure Risk in Men(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=631
Exercise Improves Quality of Life for Heart Failure Patients(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=593
Exercise Is Safe, Improves Outcomes for Heart Failure Patients(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=588
Exercise Plus Psychological Counseling May Benefit Depressed Heart Failure Patients(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=406
Heart Failure Hospitalization Rates Rise Among Nation's Seniors(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=545
Heart Failure News(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3047477
Heart Failure Patients Have Higher Risk of Fractures(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=551
Heart Failure Patients Have More Doctor Visits, Medications Than Others on Medicare(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=561
Heart Failure Patients May Have Trouble Following Low-Sodium Diets(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=718
Heart Failure Patients May Suffer Similarly to Advanced Cancer Patients(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=408
Heart Failure Patients, Caregivers Have Unmet Care Needs(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=716
Interferon Reduces, Eliminates Viral Infections in Heart Failure Patients(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=590
Miniaturized Heart Pumps May Be Effective for Children Awaiting Transplant(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=527
New Blood Test Better Identifies Heart Failure Patients in ER(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=591
Patch May Prevent Heart Failure after Heart Attack(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=478
Remote Monitoring Improves Heart Failure Patients' Health, May Reduce Hospital Readmissions(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=405
Use of Proven Heart Failure Therapy Not Standardized in U.S. Hospitals(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=492

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Effects of Darbepoetin Alfa on plasma mediators of oxidative and... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19361602&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: 2009 Focused update incorporated into the ACC/AHA 2005 Guidelines for... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19358937&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Effects of exercise training on health status in patients with... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19351942&tool=MedlinePlus
Heart Failure -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=heart+failure[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(clinical+trial[pt]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+AND+(jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Cardiac Glossary(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3038158
Cardiovascular Glossary(Texas Heart Institute) - http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Gloss/
Also available in Spanish http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Gloss_Esp/Glossary_sp.cfm

Directories

Find an Accredited Echocardiography Laboratory or Vascular Laboratory(American Society of Echocardiography) - http://www.asecho.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3333
Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) Destination Therapy Facilities(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareApprovedFacilitie/VAD/list.asp

Organizations

American Heart Association - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000
Heart Rhythm Society - http://www.hrspatients.org/
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

Statistics

Heart Failure Fact Sheet(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/library/fs_heart_failure.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/DHDSP/library/fs_heart_failure_spanish.htm

Children

Heart Failure in Children and Adolescents(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3016405

Women

Heart Failure(Cardiovascular Research Foundation) - http://www.hearthealthywomen.org/index.php?view=article&id=76&Itemid=1&option=com_content

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Heart Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hearttransplantation.html
Pacemakers and Implantable Defibrillators - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pacemakersandimplantabledefibrillators.html
Blood, Heart and Circulation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodheartandcirculation.html
Seniors - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniors.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Heart Failure is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

Heart Failure - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/heartfailure.html