Congestive Heart Failure

A left atrial myxoma is a benign tumor that is relatively rare; however, it can have significant clinical implications.

A restrictive cardiomyopathy results in severe diastolic congestive heart failure with intact systolic function.

Constrictive pericarditis occurs when scarring and calcification of the pericardium result in loss of normal elasticity. This limits diastolic relaxation of the heart and causes congestive heart failure.

The New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class helps to classify congestive heart failure patients based on their symptoms.

Aortic stenosis occurs when the orifice of the aortic valve is significantly reduced due to the failure of the aortic valve leaflets to open fully during systole.

Aortic regurgitation occurs when blood flows retrograde (backwards) across the aortic valve from the aorta into the left ventricle during diastole.

The Venturi effect is described as a decrease in pressure when blood flows through a stenosis at a high velocity. This relates to the hemodynamics in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM).

Chronic heart failure occurs when either the left ventricle, the right ventricle, or both require elevated filling pressures to maintain cardiac output. Heart failure is a syndrome, not a specific disease, and occurs as a final common pathway in multiple disease states.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is similar to b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in the hemodynamic effects. ANP is not measured clinically unlike BNP.

Diastolic dysfunction occurs when the left ventricular myocardium is non-compliant and not able to accept blood return in a normal fashion from the left atrium.