3. Pathophysiology of Chronic Heart Failure.

Pathophysiology of heart failure.

1 The pathophysiological definition of heart failure states that " cardiac failure is an inability of the heart to deliver blood (and therefore oxygen) at a rate commensurate with the requirements of the metabolising tissues at rest or during light exercise. This leads to characteristic systemic pathophysiological responses (neural, hormonal, renal and others), symptoms and signs.'' However, th...

Pathophysiology of Heart Failure

Evolution and pathophysiology of chronic systolic heart failure.

Understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic systolic heart failure evolved from a purely mechanical model to one in which a cascade of neurohormones and biologically active molecules are thought to be critical in the development, maintenance, and progression of the disease. Two important neurohormonal systems are the sympathetic nervous and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone systems. Initially, ...

Pathophysiology of congestive heart failure.

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome characterized by impaired structure and/or function of the heart, leading to dyspnea and fatigue at rest or with exertion. The pathophysiology of heart failure is complex, and there is no single lesion. Any form of heart disease can lead to heart failure. Most heart failure can be explained by well-recognized etiologic factors, though ostensibly healthy pati...

Pathophysiology of heart failure following myocardial infarction.

The structural and functional abnormalities that lead to cardiac death are coronary artery disease and left ventricular abnormalities related to remodelling (left ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and left ventricular fibrosis). Aldosterone adversely affects all of these processes. It produces both a vasculopathy and left ventricular dysfunction and fibrosis. Endot...