Heart Failure Syndrome

Chronic heart failure is a multifaceted syndrome with diverse presentations. The initial manifestations of hemodynamic dysfunction are a reduction in stroke volume and a rise in ventricular filling pressures, perhaps in the basal state but consistently under conditions of increased systemic demand for blood flow. These changes have downstream effects on cardiovascular reflexes and systemic organ perfusion and function, which in turn stimulate a variety of interdependent compensatory responses involving the cardiovascular system, neurohormonal systems, and alterations in renal physiology.

[...] The left ventricle progressively dilates and changes from the normal ellipsoid shape to a more spherical geometry. This "remodeling" is accompanied by changes in the cardiac interstitium, leading to altered orientation of the myofibrils and progressive fibrosis. The result is more discoordinate and less effective contraction. ACE inhibitors and ß-blockers slow, halt, or reverse this remodeling process, preventing left ventricular dilation, geometric distortion, and deterioration in contractile function. Conclusions Chronic heart failure is a multifaceted syndrome with diverse presentations. The initial manifestations of [...]

[...] ACE inhibitors and ß-blockers slow, halt, or reverse this remodeling process, preventing left ventricular dilation, geometric distortion, and deterioration in contractile function. Conclusions Chronic heart failure is a multifaceted syndrome with diverse presentations. The initial manifestations of hemodynamic dysfunction are a reduction in stroke volume and a rise in ventricular filling pressures, perhaps in the basal state but consistently under conditions of increased systemic demand for blood flow. Bibliography Cecil Textbook of Medicine 22th.Ed Current Cardiology 2nd.Ed Hurst's The Heart 10th.Ed Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2007 Listras HEART FAILURE SYNDROME Chronic heart failure is a multifaceted syndrome with diverse presentations. [...]