8/12/2019 Welcome to Maryland Health Today
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Welcome to Maryland Health today
Im Ellen Beth Levitt
About 5 million americans are living with heart failure.
Achronic condition that is the leading cause of
hospitalization for people over age 65.
But there is been a lot of progress in understanding and
treating heart failure in recent years.
And we will learn about the latest advances in the show
today.
My guest is an expert of heart failure. He is Dr. Mandeep Mehra,
chief of cardiology at the univ of
maryland medical centre, and also a profesor of medicine and
head of the division of cardiology at te
univ of maryland scholl of madicine.
Welcome to the show.
Thank you very much ellen beth, it is a pleasure to be here with
you today.
Could you first tell us what is the heart failure?
The heart failure is a couple of words that has very negative
connotation. To try understand HF we must
first understand the normal function of the heart. A heart is
designed o pump the blood to meet the
demands of the body. And when its incapable in doing so, we term
that tobe HF.
Its a problem about pumping ability of the heat right?
Yes, it is a problem in the pumping capcity of the heart to meet
the demands of the body. So, for
example, patients, when they undergo exercise, or they walk up a
flight of stairs, tipically need more
blood to be pumped. And when the heart fails to do so, that
condition is called HF.
How is HF different from HA?
Thank you for the important question. HA is an episodic event.
It sually occurs as a result of a blockage
in a blood vessel that supplies blood to the heart.it is
exemplified by chest pain and discomfort. And the
heart failure is a long-term event and as a result of a heart
attack. And this is due to weakening heartmuscle so someone can
have a heart attack ten years ago, and would now develop the
weakness of
heart pump which is failed to pump the blood adequately
Theres also a term congestive hf. What does that mean? Is that
the same as heart failure?
So congestive hf is a term given to the moment when the patients
with a weakened heart muscle,
develops leg swelling, and shortage of breath with fluid
overload. And that is called congestive HF.
Typically a term that used to describe a conditon of the failing
heart in patients who requires a
hospitalization.
So then do you accumulate fluid basically is that what makes the
congestion throughout the body?
When the heart muscle weakens, not only does it fail to pumping
the blood forward but it also backs up
bloods in lungs, in the liver, as well as in the legs . and
thats term congestion.
I also understand that people who have severe heart failure,can
have an enlargement in their heart, the
hearts actually grows in size, is that because of working
harder, to meet the demands of the body and
the muscle so it grows?
