 | Joseph P. Galichia, MD is the founder and Medical Director of the Galichia Medical Group, PA. He is an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of interventional cardiology. In the 70's, Dr. Galichia studied in Zurich, Switzerland with the inventors of the balloon angioplasty technique for treating heart disease. As a result of his experience, he was able to bring this historic technique back to the United States where he was one of the first physicians to perform coronary angioplasty here. A noted medical spokesman, he appears on a weekly Newstalk segment on KWCH Channel 12 and has a weekly syndicated radio talk show on KNSS 1330 AM every Saturday live from 11:00 am to noon. Dr. Galichia may be contacted by sending an e-mail to service@galichia.com |
Health & Medicine
2004-04-01 13:46:00
What is congestive heart failure
Question: What is congestive heart failure? With the word 'failure' in the name, one would think it is an 'event' rather than an affliction. Can one ever get cured of it?
ANSWER: Congestive Heart Failure is an illness characterized by heart's inability to work effectively as a pump. Heart failure is not an event but rather an illness with many causes. Congestive heart failure is most commonly due to impairment of function of the left ventricle, the chamber which pumps blood to all parts of the body. This pumping chamber may be made ineffective by damage due to heart attacks, by valvular abnormalities, such as leaking valve or a valve that is tightly narrowed, and sometimes the damage may be related to the viral infections. Long standing untreated blood pressure, metabolic abnormalities and inherited causes are only part of a long list of problems that may lead to heart failure. In some patients, the cause of heart failure is not related to failure of left ventricle or main pumping chamber but may be related to failure of right ventricle, the chamber that pumps blood from the heart to the lungs. In this instance, underlying heart disease such as emphysema may be the cause.Patients with heart failure most often complaint of shortness of breath usually made worse with exertion. Weakness, easy fatigue ability, swelling, and inability to lie flat in bed are associated symptoms. In more extreme cases, patients may complaint of waking up gasping of air after lying in bed for a while. None of these symptoms are diagnostic of heart failure and a good physical examination and obtaining a chest films, and an echocardiogram help us to establish a diagnosis. Congestive heart failure is a serious illness and necessitates understanding what caused the heart to fail. Often, a heart catheterization study will also be necessary to enable us to devise the best treatment plan for the patient. Medications, such as Digitalis and diuretics are standard treatments but the addition of Ace-Inhibitor drugs, Beta-Blockers and most recently pacemakers that pace both ventricles of the heart, have improved the outlook for these patients greatly. There is no "cure" for most patients with heart failure, but occasionally patients with viral illnesses simply get better and replacing a heart valve when appropriate, may resolve in nearly normal heart function. Fortunately, the prognosis for the heart patients continues to improve. Anyone with symptoms of shortness of breath, easy fatigue ability or excessive swelling should seek medical attention early and aggressive evaluation and treatment provide the best chance for long term survivor.
