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Congestive Heart Failure Research Paper

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Congestive heart failure is defined as; “the heart does not pump as well as it should to meet the body’s oxygen demands.” (Congestive Heart Failure, John Hopkins Medicine) The heart has four chambers; two atria in the upper part of the heart, and two ventricles in the lower part of the heart. Ventricles transport blood to the organs and tissues. The atria receive blood after it circulates from the body. When another condition has damaged or weakened the heart, and the heart can’t maintain the normal demands of pumping blood to the rest of the body, heart failure occurs. The ventricles can become stiff and not fill properly in between beats. The ventricles can also stretch causing the heart to not be able to properly pump blood to the whole body. Increased heart rate usually occurs which is caused by increased sympathetic activity trying to maintain cardiac output. When the sympathetic stimulation is increased, it releases vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone), which then causes fluid retention in the kidneys. When this happens, one can have hypertension There …show more content…
However, if one maintains a healthy lifestyle such as quitting smoking, not consuming alcohol, reducing cholesterol, getting the proper amount of exercise, and maintaining therapeutic levels of medications that are prescribed, one can live many years after being diagnosed. Right sided heart failure often occurs from left sided heart failure. When the left ventricle does not perform properly, the increased fluid pressure is transferred back to the lungs, which then damages the heart’s right side. When the right side of the heart is unable to pump properly, blood backs up into the veins. This produces “congestion” which can affect the gastrointestinal tract and the limbs. Other than left-sided heart failure, other causes include; chronic bronchitis, emphysema, congenital heart disease, clots in pulmonary arteries, pulmonary hypertension, and heart valve

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