Heart failure
(1) coronary artery disease leading to heart attacks and heart muscle weakness, (2) primary heart muscle weakness from viral infections or toxins such as prolonged alcohol exposure, (3) heart valve disease causing heart muscle weakness due to too much leaking of blood or heart muscle stiffness from a blocked valve, and (4) hypertension (high blood pressure). Rarer causes include hyperthyroidism (high thyroid hormone), vitamin deficiency, and excess amphetamine (“speed”) use.
The aim of therapy is to improve the pumping function of the heart. General treatment includes salt restriction, diuretics (to get rid of excess fluid), digoxin (to strengthen the heart), and other medications. A drug called spironolactone has been found to be a major help in treating congestive heart failure Its beneficial effects are additive to those from ACE inhibitors, another class of drugs commonly relied on in treating heart failure. A pacemaker-like device is also now available to treat heart failure. The implantable device delivers synchronized electrical stimulation to three chambers of the heart, enabling the heart to pump blood more efficiently throughout the body.
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An unusual, ‘whooshing’ heart sound that may be innocent or may reflect disease or malformation. A heart murmur is created by blood flow through a heart valve, by blood flow through a narrowed chamber, or by an unusual connection between the chambers, as seen with congenital heart disease. Sometimes a heart murmur does not represent […]
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The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually per minute. The heart rate is based on the number of contractions of the ventricles (the lower chambers of the heart). The heart rate may be too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia). The pulse is a bulge of an artery from waves of blood that […]
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