KYJ - Understanding Heart Failure

#KYJ. Understanding heart failures.

In a nut shell, heart failure is the condition diagnosed when your heart “fails” to pump an adequate volume/minute.  It is measured using Cardiac output and its components- stroke volume (the amount of blood your heart pumps each beat) x the heart rate.

CO = SVxHR

Normally your CO is 4.2-7litres /min.

Now SV is measured as the volume your left ventricle squirts out each pump.  It is about 70 mls.
That 70 mls is approximately 70% of what was in your full ventricle (100ml).

So... if you fill with 100 and pump out 70ml.  Then the efficiency of your Squirt is called Ejection Fraction (and it’s approx 70%)

Fall short and you have Left heart failure....

Causes could be a weak pump or a stiff ventricle wall, or low volume or injury to the left ventricle (commonly seen after MI)

Let’s recap our plumbing...
Blood in veins (returning blood to the heart) traveling to  the Arterial side of circulation must travel through three way points;
Right heart , lungs and left heart

When arterial blood pressure is too high (Hypertension), also referred to as "Afterload",  the left heart has difficulty with its forward traffic flow.  Traffic backs up in the Left heart causing it to fail. - left heart failure.

Once this happens, blood attempting to drain into the left heart can't, and and pressure builds in the pulmonary vessels; it's called pulmonary hypertension.

This leakage causes the spaces between capillaries and alveoli to fill with plasma leaking from the pulmonary capillaries-  it's called pulmonary Oedema and when severe the patient is breathless, wheezing, and may cough pink frothy sputum. Being caused by Left heart failure, this type of oedema is defined as Cardiogenic pulmonary oedema. Wet crackling lungs and desaturation leads to a respiratory failure on top of cardiac failure.

Right heart failure (Cor Pulmonale)
The venous network drains into the right heart.  The right heart then pumps relatively deoxygenated blood through the Lungs to become oxygenated.  When the Right heart fails to efficiently pump, blood backs up into the venous system causing venous congestion, engorgement, ankle and peripheral oedema, Jugular venous pressure elevation, and Ascites.

The Right heart will fail if you snore chronically.  When sleeping (obstructive sleep apnoea) is a major contributor of Right heart failure. It's the sequelae of untreated snoring (you don't have to just live with it!)
In fact any restrictive airway disease that is unmanaged, causes more pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension), making the right heart have to work harder to pump blood through the lungs.  If you force an engine to work too hard for too long, it inevitably fails. Get that snoring looked at- especially if you see stricture marks on your legs after wearing socks.  If you have ankle swelling.  You are probably already experiencing the beginning of Right Heart Failure.

There is so much more to this.   Consider coming to one of our Cardiac days.
Book me to present to your crew.
Or check out our CPD seminars near you - here
Www.Ect4Health.Com.Au/whats  

Check out the latest Videos