3 Things To Know About Congestive Heart Failure

Did you recently notice that there is an excessive amount of swelling in your feet? Although there a few things that can cause swelling to occur, you .might have congestive heart failure (CHF). If you are experiencing a large amount of other symptoms, it is possible that CHF has advanced to a dangerous stage. Prompt treatment is necessary if you don't want the disease to end up being fatal. Take a look at this article to gain more insight about suffering from CHF.

1. What it Means to Have CHF

CHF develops when the body becomes congested with large amount of water and salt. Basically, the condition ends up causing areas of the body such as feet, legs, arms, lungs, and a few others, to swell up. The congestion stems from the heart pumping blood in a manner that is slower than it is designed to do. You end up with less oxygen flowing through your body, which also has an effect on vital body parts like the kidneys. The mitral valve in your heart can fail to open wide enough to regulate the blood flowing on the left side of your heart, which is called mitral valve stenosis.

2. Symptoms That Can Develop

You might feel like urinating more during the night if you are suffering from fluid building up in your body. Your stomach might also appear to be bloated, which can cause you to experience nausea a lot. Being that a reduced amount of blood travels to vital organs, you might feel tired all of the time. CHF can also lead to you feeling dizzy, which stems from your brain not receiving enough oxygen. One of the most common symptoms of CHF is an irregular heartbeat.

3. Treatment Methods for CHF

There are many things that will play a role in how you are treated for CHF. The condition can stem from numerous medical conditions, so you might be prescribed more than one type of medication based on your specific situation. Open heart surgery is often required for patients who are suffering from a severe case of CHF. For instance, a surgeon, such as at Firelands Regional Medical Center, might have to perform the balloon valvotomy procedure, which is done to widen up the mitral valve of the heart. A balloon valvotomy will make it easier for the mitral valve to regulate the blood that flows between the left atrium and left ventricle of your heart.