Put simply, heart failure refers to a condition where the heart cannot supply sufficient oxygen (through the blood) to the rest of the body.
The diagnosis of heart failure lies in the history of the symptoms, mainly the shortness of breath.
Heart failure commonly occurs in patients with hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, who smoke, are obese, and take alcohol in excess.
Most patients with heart failure have reduced contraction of the left ventricle but up to half may have a normal left ventricular function but significant heart failure symptoms brought about by abnormal relaxation of the left ventricle.
In addition to medication, there are complex devices (pacemakers) that are implanted in patients with heart failure that improve symptoms and prevent death.
