congestive heart failure

congestive heart failure, Heart failure resulting in the accumulation of fluid in the lungs and other body tissues. It is related mainly to salt and water retention in the tissues rather than directly to reduced blood flow. Blood pools in the veins (vascular congestion) because the heart does not pump efficiently enough to allow it to return. It may vary from the most minimal symptoms to sudden pulmonary edema or a rapidly lethal shocklike state (see shock). Chronic states of varying severity may last years. Symptoms tend to worsen as the body’s attempts to compensate for the condition create a vicious circle. The patient has trouble breathing, at first during exertion and later even at rest. Treatment is directed toward increasing the strength of the heart’s muscle contraction, reduction of fluid accumulation, and elimination of the underlying cause of the failure.