| | Definition: | | Congestive heart failure is the disorder in which the output of the heart (cardiac output) cannot meet the circulatory and metabolic needs of the body. It can be caused by atherosclerotic heart disease (myocardial ischemia or infarction), congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, systemic hypertension and valvular heart diseases. The three cardinal signs of congestive heart failure are: - cardiomegaly (enlarged heart)
- tachypnea (rapid breathing; occurs in the case of left side failure)
- hepatomegaly (enlarged liver; occurs in the case of right side failure)
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Biology Dictionary