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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Older Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. 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. It can affect one or both sides of the heart.

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

Common causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. It is more common in people who are 65 years old or older, African Americans, people who are overweight, and people who have had a heart attack. Men have a higher rate of heart failure than women.

Your doctor will diagnose heart failure by doing a physical exam and heart tests. Treatment includes treating the underlying cause of your heart failure, medicines, and heart transplantation if other treatments fail.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

• Heart Failure (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• What Is Heart Failure? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Symptoms

• Heart Failure Signs and Symptoms (American Heart Association)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Chloride Blood Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Classes of Heart Failure (American Heart Association)
• Heart Health Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Natriuretic Peptide Tests (BNP, NT-proBNP) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• How to Prevent Heart Disease: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Understand Your Risk for Heart Failure (American Heart Association)

Treatments and Therapies

• Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) (American Heart Association)
• Digoxin: A Medicine for Heart Problems (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Diuretics (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Hawthorn (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Heart Treatments (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Medications Used to Treat Heart Failure (American Heart Association)
• Pacemakers and Implantable Defibrillators: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• What Is a Total Artificial Heart? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Living With

• How Can I Live with Heart Failure? (American Heart Association) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Lifestyle Changes for Heart Failure (American Heart Association)
• Patient's Guide to Living Confidently with Chronic Heart Failure (American Heart Association)
• Self-Care Guide for the Heart Failure Patient (American Heart Association)

Related Issues

• Cardiac Asthma: What Causes It? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Diastolic Dysfunction (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
• Heart Failure Questions to Ask Your Doctor (American Heart Association)
• Overcoming Barriers to Shared Decision Making (American Heart Association)
• Planning for Advanced Heart Failure (American Heart Association)
• Pulmonary Edema (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Recognizing Advanced Heart Failure and Knowing Your Options (American Heart Association)

Specifics

• Advanced Heart Failure (American Heart Association)
• Types of Heart Failure (American Heart Association)

Statistics and Research

• Heart Failure Fact Sheet (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cardiac Output, Low (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Failure (National Institutes of Health)

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

• Article: Functional and structural reverse myocardial remodeling following transcatheter aortic valve replacement:...
• Article: Health utilities in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease and impaired...
• Article: Effect of vitamin D on endothelial and ventricular function in chronic...
• Heart Failure -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Heart Anatomy (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
• Heart Information Center (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
• How the Heart Works (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Heart Association
• Find a Heart Rhythm Specialist (Heart Rhythm Society)
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Children

• Congestive Heart Failure (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Heart Failure in Children and Adolescents (American Heart Association)
• Ventricular Assist Device (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)

Older Adults

• Heart Failure: Unique to Older Adults (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)

Patient Handouts

• Brain natriutetic peptide test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heart failure - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heart failure - fluids and diuretics (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heart failure - home monitoring (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heart failure - medicines (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heart failure in children - home care (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heart failure in children - overview (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heart failure overview (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pleural effusion (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pulmonary edema (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish