• Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the buildup of blood in the lungs because of inadequate
    pumping action of the heart.
  • CHF has many causes, and CHF therapy focuses on eliminating the cause, reducing
    symptoms, and preventing a further progressive decrease in the heart’s pumping
    function.
  •  Heart failure therapy requires lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, quitting smoking,
    limiting alcohol consumption, and reducing salt and fluid in the diet.
  •  Depending on the cause of heart failure, the treatment may be surgical or medical. Both
    strategies aim to relieve symptoms and to increase the heart’s ability to pump.
  •  Medications that treat CHF rid the body of excess fluid, reduce the blood vessels’
    resistance to ejection of blood, and combat the production of hormones that increase the
    heart’s workload.