Drugs for CHF.pptx

1. Drugs used in the Congestive
Heart Failure
A chronic condition in which the heart doesn't pump blood as well as it should.

2. • Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic progressive condition that
affects the pumping power of your heart muscles. While often
referred to simply as “heart failure,” CHF specifically refers to the
stage in which fluid builds up around the heart and causes it to pump
inefficiently.
• Heart failure can occur if the heart cannot pump (systolic) or fill
(diastolic) adequately.
• Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, swollen legs and rapid
heartbeat.
• Treatments can include eating less salt, limiting fluid intake and taking
prescription medication. In some cases a defibrillator or pacemaker
may be implanted.

3. The heart is fundamentally a blood pump. It pumps blood from the
right side of the heart to the lungs to pick up oxygen. The oxygenated
blood returns to the left side of the heart. The left side of the heart
then pumps blood into the circulatory system of blood vessels that
carry blood throughout the body.
• The heart consists of four chambers.
• The two upper chambers are called atria and the two lower
chambers are called ventricles.
• The right atrium and right ventricle receive blood from the body
through the veins and then pump the blood to the lungs.
• The left atrium and left ventricle receive blood from the lungs and
pump it out through the aorta into the arteries, which feed all organs
and tissues of the body with oxygenated blood.

4. Because the left ventricle has to pump blood to
the entire body, it is a stronger pump than the
right ventricle.
• Picture of congestive heart failure.
• Picture of congestive heart failure. The heart is
a pump that works together with the lungs.
The heart pumps blood from the veins
through the lungs where oxygen is added and
then moves it on to the arteries. This pumping
action creates a relatively high pressure in the
arteries and a low pressure in the veins.

5. Heart failure is an illness in which the pumping action of the heart becomes less
and less powerful. When this happens, blood does not move efficiently through the
circulatory system and starts to back up, increasing the pressure in the blood
vessels and forcing fluid from the blood vessels into body tissues. Symptoms
depend on which area of the body is most involved in the reduced pumping action.
• When the left side of the heart (left ventricle) starts to fail, fluid collects in the
lungs (edema). This extra fluid in the lungs (pulmonary congestion) makes it more
difficult for the airways to expand as a person inhales. Breathing becomes more
difficult and the person may feel short of breath, particularly with activity or
when lying down.
• When the right side of the heart (right ventricle) starts to fail, fluid begins to
collect in the feet and lower legs. Puffy leg swelling (edema) is a sign of right
heart failure, especially if the edema is pitting edema. With pitting edema, a
finger pressed on the swollen leg leaves an imprint. Non-pitting edema is not
caused by heart failure.
• As the right heart failure worsens, the upper legs swell and eventually the
abdomen collects fluid (ascites). Weight gain accompanies the fluid retention and
is a reliable measure of how much fluid is being retained.

6. • Although heart failure is a serious medical condition, there are many
causes and the outcome can vary from person to person. Heart failure
may develop gradually over several years, or more quickly after a
heart attack or a disease of the heart muscle. Congestive heart failure
(CHF) is generally classified as systolic or diastolic heart failure and
becomes progressively more common with increasing age. In
addition, patients with risk factors for heart disease are more likely to
develop congestive heart failure.

7. Signs and symptoms
• Shortness of breath when lying
down
• Fatigue
• Exercise intolerance
• Leg swelling
• Weight gain
• Urinating frequently

8. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a syndrome that can be brought about by several causes.
Congestive heart failure is a weakening of the heart caused by an underlying heart or blood vessel
problem, or a combination of several different problems, including the following:
• Weakened heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
• Damaged heart valves
• Blocked blood vessels supplying the heart muscle (coronary arteries), which may lead to a heart
attack (This is known as ischemic cardiomyopathy. If there are other, noncoronary causes, these
are collectively termed nonischemic cardiomyopathy.)
• Toxic exposures, such as alcohol or cocaine
• Infections, commonly viruses, which for unknown reasons affect the heart in only certain
individuals
• High blood pressure that results in thickening of the heart muscle (left ventricular hypertrophy)
• Congenital heart diseases
• Certain genetic diseases involving the heart
• Prolonged, serious arrhythmias
• A variety of less common disorders in which the heart muscle is infiltrated by a disease process

9. Congestive heart failure may be exacerbated by the following lifestyle
habits:
• Unhealthy habits, such as smoking and excessive use of alcohol
• Obesity and lack of exercise (May contribute to congestive heart
failure, either directly or indirectly through accompanying high blood
pressure, diabetes, and coronary artery disease.)
• High salt intake, which may cause more fluid retention
• Noncompliance with medications and other therapies

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