Heart failure does not mean the heart has
stopped working. Rather, it means that
the heart’s pumping power is weaker than
normal. With heart failure, blood moves
through the heart and body at a slower
rate, and pressure in the heart increases.
As a result, the heart cannot pump
enough oxygen and nutrients to meet the
body’s needs. The chambers of the
heart respond by stretching to hold more
blood to pump through the body. This
helps to keep the blood moving, but in
time, the heart muscle walls weaken and
are unable to pump as strongly. As a
result, the kidneys often respond by
causing the body to retain fluid (water)
and sodium. If fluid builds up in the
arms, legs, ankles, feet, lungs or other
organs, the body becomes congested, and
congestive heart failure is the term used
to describe the condition.
Edit
|
PantherCub
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 May 2005 Posts: 13 Location: Darwen - Lancashire
Posted: 06-13-05 09:07am
This is a very interesting link.
My mum died of heart failure on the 14th
march 2005 and I miss her so much but I
find it helps reading up on things like
this and knowing what she was going
through and problems which she had that
doctors didnt class as related to her
heart are also listed within the link you
have posted here.
My mum had heart problems from being 9
years old and suffered two minor heart
failures in december 2000 and was admitted
into hospital where she them suffered a
major heart failure on arrival to a&e.
Thankyou for the link as I find it
comforting as to knowing everything was
all linked together.
