Heart Failure
Heart failure occurs when the ventricles can no longer pump sufficiently strongly to meet the demands placed upon them. This means that instead of the fluid being pumped from the right ventricle round the lungs and into the left ventricle, there is an increase in the pressure of the fluid on the right side of the heart. This produces congestion in the lungs, causing shortness of breath, and in the abdomen and limbs, which swell up. An affected infant may be unable to feed, and often breathes in a grunting fashion as it struggles to acquire enough oxygen. In children the causes are usually myocarditis or congenital heart disease. The heart failure can usually be treated by agents which reduce the load on the heart, such as diuretics which increase urine flow, though the underlying cause may be more difficult to treat.
|
