Topic > Causes of Heart Failure

An organ is a complicated structure of several tissues that form a particular function. The body is made up of several organs such as the kidneys, heart, lungs, liver and brain (Pickering, Ron). However, there are times when a particular organ is unable to perform its function and this is known as "organ failure". Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Every organ is capable of dysfunction, however, the most common organ failures occur in the heart and kidneys. The heart is an organ that pumps blood throughout the body, from the brain to the toes. The heart is the main part of the circulatory system as it maintains pressure for blood to pass through the veins, capillaries and arteries. The heart has four chambers: right ventricle, left ventricle, right atrium and left atrium. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs, similarly, the right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the vena cava (Pickering, Ron). In Fig. 1 you can see the right atrium and ventricle and the left atrium and ventricle, as well as the location and other parts of the heart. There is a very precise difference between the atria and the ventricles and that is the atrium receives low pressure blood from the veins and the ventricle pumps high pressure blood into the arteries. Heart failure can be caused by various reasons, however the main cause of this is that the heart is unable to pump enough blood or meet the blood demands of the body. There are two assumptions you can make when you are suffering from heart failure, the heart is unable to fill with enough blood or it is unable to pump blood to the rest of the body, which over time weakens the heart leading to cardiac congestion or heart failure. Furthermore, heart failure develops differently in each individual, many suffer from heart failure in the right and left side of the heart, although some are found only in the right or left side and not in both. The right side of the heart suffers from heart failure only when the heart is unable to pump enough blood for the lungs to receive oxygen, while left-side heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump "rich" blood. oxygen" to the body (Mayo Clinic). In most cases of heart failure the heart is affected over time because it becomes stiff and weak, however it has also been studied that in some cases the heart muscle is likely to be damaged and the two ventricles to stretch very widely not being able to meet the requirement for oxygen in the body. Figure 2 easily manages to show how when a heart begins to weaken and shows few symptoms of heart failure, it begins to expand in size. This requires the heart to start working harder and faster to pump blood for the body to function. Furthermore, heart failure also has several external causes and not just those that occur inside the heart. For example, heart failure can also be caused by high blood pressure or hypertension. Like when you have high blood pressure, your heart is forced to work faster and harder, pumping more blood than your body needs on a regular basis (Mayo Clinic). This excessive strain could make the heart weaker and stiffer, leading it to pump less and have too little blood for the body. Similarly, heart failure can also be induced by a heart attack or coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is a disease that occurs in the heart, in which a liquid-based substance is known).