Congestive heart failure (CHF), also called congestive cardiac failure (CCF) or just heart failure, is a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body. It is not to be confused with "cessation of heartbeat", which is known as asystole, or with cardiac arrest, which is the cessation of normal cardiac function in the face of heart disease. Because not all patients have volume overload at the time of initial or subsequent evaluation, the term "heart failure" is preferred over the older term "congestive heart failure". Congestive heart failure is often undiagnosed due to a lack of a universally agreed definition and difficulties in diagnosis, particularly when the condition is considered "mild".

Causes

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Causes and contributing factors to congestive heart failure include (with specific reference to left (L) or right (R) sides):

• Genetic family history of CHF
• Ischaemic heart disease/Myocardial infarction (coronary artery disease)
• Infection
• Alcohol ingestion
• Anemia
• Thyrotoxicosis (hyperthyroidism)
• Arrhythmia
• Hypertension (L)
• Coarctation of the aorta (L)
• Aortic stenosis/regurgitation (L)
• Mitral regurgitation (L)
• Pulmonary stenosis/Pulmonary hypertension/Pulmonary embolism all leading to cor pulmonale (R)
• Mitral valve disease (L)

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