what are signs of congestiveheartfailure?

Question

my dad is 65 years old and has a st jude mechanicalvalvefor about 17 years never had a heart attack or stroke he had rumaticfever at a young age and as a result of this he had to have the aorticvalve replaced he has high blood pressure but under control with meds he recently wasnt feeling good went to the er and they found he had a heart arithmia and shocked his heart and hes feeling great now but i noticed hes tired alot went to the drs for his checkup and dr said all is good when he was in the hospital he had a chest xray a ekg blood work and an echocardiogram all was good valves are all good and heart is good but he also has poor circulation in both leggs i am concerned just wondering why he is tired more than usual and he works 2 jobs still thanks any info would be helpful

Answer 1

First of all it seems like it's time for him to retire. But to answer your question, the basic signs of CHF are shortness of breath, fluid on the lungs and swelling around the feet and ankles. In the later stages there's also respiratory distress, extended juglar veins in the neck and possibly cyanosis (blueness of the lips/nail beds). Have him see his physician ASAP if he has any of the basic signs, because once the later signs arrive it's often too late to be saved.

Answer 2

There are textbook clinical signs of congestive heart failure (CHF): shortness of breath, coughing, leg swelling, abdominal swelling, weakness, fatigue, chest pain, palpitations, but they vary from person to person and depends on whether there is right sided heart failure vs. left sided heart failure...you can also have compensated heart failure without the "congestive" component.

He needs to also have his legs looked at as leg swelling can be caused by different things beside heart failure. His "poor circulation" needs to be worked up....a good start would be an ankle/brachial index test (a non-invasive test) or perhaps a venous and arterial doppler scan.

Good luck!!

Answer 3

Congestive heart failure is a syndrome rather than a disease. You dad has valvular disease which could lead to CHF. Basically, the heart becomes an ineffective pump to meet the body's oxygen demand. The signs and symptoms of heart failure: fatigue, shortness of breath, waking in the middle of the night with shortness of breath, inability to lay flat (you can usually ask patient's with CHF how many pillows they used to sleep and they will tell you 2-3), activity intolerance, weight gain (leg swelling, fluid retention in abdomen). These are just a few of the signs and symptoms of CHF. With your dad's case, he has two risk factors for CHF namely valvular disease and arrythmias. You should consult with a board certified cardiologist who has experience in caring for patients with CHF. The current evidence base for treating CHF includes the use of medications such as a beta blocker (Carvedilol), ACE inhibitor, a diuretic, digoxin. The key is to treat the underlying cause. If your dad has arrhytmias he may qualify for an AICD/pacemaker to regulate his rate and rhythm. You should find a good cardiologist who can advise you in this matter. Goodluck. Please see the american heart website www.americanheart.org, it can provide you great info on CHF.