Congestive Heart Failure: Definition, Clinical Context, and Cardiology Overview
Congestive Heart Failure is a clinical syndrome where the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs or can do so only at elevated filling pressures. It is a medical condition (often shortened to “heart failure”) characterized by symptoms and signs of fluid congestion and reduced effective circulation. It is commonly encountered in the emergency department, inpatient cardiology, and outpatient clinics. It is a major framework for understanding dyspnea, edema, cardiomyopathy, and many cardiovascular therapies.