What is the full form of CHF

CHF: Congestive Heart Failure

CHF stands for Congestive Heart Failure. It is a medical condition in which heart cannot pump enough blood to the body tissues. The heart keeps working but not as efficiently as it should be. Let us understand it in simple words:

The human heart has four chambers: two atria (singular: atrium) in the upper half and two ventricles in the lower half. The deoxygenated blood enters the right atrium (right upper chamber) through superior vena cava (vein) then passed to the right ventricle (right lower chamber) and then pumped to the lungs through pulmonary artery. In the lungs, Carbon dioxide moves out of the blood and oxygen moves into the blood, thus deoxygenated blood turns into oxygenated blood.

From the lungs, the oxygenated blood enters the left atrium (left upper chamber) through pulmonary vein and then enters the left ventricle (left lower chamber). From here, the oxygenated blood is pumped throughout the body via aorta or arteries. If a person is suffering from CHR, the blood is not efficiently pumped out from the left ventricle and the left ventricle does not empty properly due to this the pressure in the atria (upper chambers) increases due to the backlog of blood. It causes fluids to accumulate (oedema) inside body organs like kidneys, lungs, liver and lower body.

CHF is called Left-sided CHF when the left side of the heart (left ventricle) is affected. When the right side of the heart (right ventricle) is affected, it is called Right-sided CHF. CHF is diagnosed through a person's medical history, a physical examination, and specific laboratory tests. Its treatment includes lifestyle modifications, medications, mechanical therapies and heart transplant.