Congestive Heart Failure

Martin M. Zdanowicz1
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, 179 Longwood Avenue, Boston MA 02115

PROLOGUE
The following paper presents the pathophysiology lecture
content for congestive heart failure at the Massachusetts College
of Pharmacy & Health Sciences. At the College,
pathophysiology is a three credit course required for students in
the PharmD, PA and BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences programs.
The goal of this course is to give students a detailed
understanding of the mechanisms involved in disease processes
that affect the various organ systems. Knowledge of the
pathophysioloic basis of disease is essential for success in the
pharmacology and therapeutic courses the students face in the
coming semesters, as well as for the clinical knowledge base
that will be developed in future practice. Congestive heart
failure (CHF) is a challenging but interesting topic to teach. It is
a topic in which a detailed understanding of cardiovascular
physiology is essential for grasping the effects of CHF on the
body as well as the accompanying symptoms and therapeutic
interventions that are employed. Students in pathophysiology are
concurrently taking a two-semester course in human physiology
and the topics between these two courses are closely integrated
so that a detailed study of cardiovascular physiology occurs just
before the presentation of CHF in pathophysiology.
Lecture material for CHF begins with a comparison between
high output and low output types of failure with possible causes
of each. A brief review of pulmonary and systemic circulatory
pathways is then given to ensure that students are clear on the
relationship of these two pathways to the left and right side of the
heart. Students seem better able to grasp the consequences of
CHF if the heart is split into the right and left side and then
discussed independently of one another at first. A detailed
discussion of the manifestations of left and right-sided heart
failure then ensues with emphasis on the pathophysiologic
basis for the various manifestations that are observed with left
and right heart failure. Numerous diagrams are incorporated
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into the lecture to reinforce and clarify important concepts. The

material continues with a discussion of the physiologic
compensatory mechanisms that are active in a patient with
CHF. It is stressed that early in the disease process, these
compensatory mechanisms are useful in maintaining normal
cardiac output function but that after a period of time, these
renal and cardiovascular compensatory changes worsen heart
failure and are often targets of therapeutic intervention. The
clinical symptoms of CHF are presented along with various
means of diagnosing the condition. After a detailed discussion
of CHF from a pathophysiologic standpoint, students are asked
to provide a rationale of how they might treat the symptoms of
CHF based on their understanding of physiologic derangements
that are present. The students are then given a brief overview of
the various drug classes that are used in the treatment of CHF.
The presentation of therapeutic agents is general and focuses
mainly on the mechanism(s) by which a certain drug or class
of drugs is useful in CHF. Detailed discussion of the
individual agents will take place in subsequent Pharmacology
courses. A case study is also given at the end of the lecture
material as a means of bringing all the information together
and giving it some tangible clinical significance.
REVIEW OF PULMONARY AND SYSTEMIC
CIRCULATION
The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs via
the pulmonary vein and transfers it through the mitral valve
into the left ventricle. The left ventricle of the heart is the most
heavily muscled chamber and is responsible for pumping
oxygenated blood out into the aorta for delivery to the body.
Deoxygenated blood returns from the body by the vena cava
1

Associate Professor of Pharmacology

Am. J. Pharm. Educ., 66, 180-185(2002); received 1/28/02, accepted 3/14/02.

merican Journal of Pharmaceutical Education Vol. 66, Summer 2002

Fig 1. Overview of pulmonary and systemic circulation.

Fig 2. Consequences of left-side heart failure.

Table I. Common causes of heart failure

Table II. Definition of key terms

Low Output Failure:

Myocardial ischemia
Cardiac hypertrophy
Myocardial infarction
Cardiomyopathy
Heart valve defects
Congenital heart defects
High Output Failure:
Hypermetabolism, hyperthyoridism
Anemia
Excessive intravenous fluids

and enters the right atrium where it is then transferred into the
right ventricle and pumped to the lungs for oxygenation via
the pulmonary artery (Figure 1).
ETIOLOGY OF CHF
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart no longer
functions effectively as a pump. Depending upon the cause,
heart failure may be classified as low output failure or high
output failure(1). Low output failure is said to occur when the
pumping efficiency of the heart becomes reduced by factors
that impair cardiac function. High output failure occurs when
the cardiac output of the heart remains significantly elevated
for a long period. With high output failure, the metabolic and
oxygen demands of the heart exceeds what can be supplied by
the coronary circulation and the function of the myocardium
eventually fails. Some common causes of heart failure are
listed in Table I.

Stroke Volume - the volume of blood pumped by one ventricle

during one contraction
Preload the degree to which the myocardium is stretched by
venous return. Determined by LVEDV
Left Ventricular End Diastolic Volume (LVEDV)- the amount
of blood that fills the left ventricle during relaxation
Ejection Fraction- the fraction of the blood contained in the
ventricle at the end of diastole that is expelled during its
contraction, (the stroke volume divided by end-diastolic volume)
Afterload the pressure the heart must overcome to pump blood
out into the aorta
Dyspnea-difficulty breathing
Orthopnea worsening dyspnea in the supine position
Cyanosis bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous
membranes that occurs as a result of a lack of oxygen in the
blood (hypoxia)
Ascites accumulation of fluid in the perioteneal cavity

Left Side Heart Failure

The left heart pumps oxygenated blood out to the systemic
circulation. Common causes of left heart failure include
myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy and aortic valve stenosis
(at this point it may be helpful to the students to review how
heart valve defects lead to heart failure). Failure of the left
heart effects blood flow out of the body (forward failure) as
well as blood return to the heart from the pulmonary
circulation (backward failure) (Figure 2). The manifestations
of left heart failure include:

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Fig 3. Circulatory effects of heart failure.

a decreased stroke volume, increased left-ventricular enddiastolic volume, increased preload (Table II);
pulmonary congestion associated with increased
pulmonary pressure and pulmonary edema. The term
congestive heart failure comes from the accumulation
of blood and congestion that occurs in the pulmonary and
systemic circulation (Figure 3).
dyspnea, cough, frothy sputum. Crackling sounds
(rales) that may be heard through the stethoscope as
result of fluid accumulation in the lungs. Orthopnea, fluid
accumulation that is often worse at night or when lying
down as a result of fluid redistribution from the lower
body.
cyanosis as a result of poor systemic perfusion;
generalized fatigue and weakness as a result of poor blood
flow.

Over time, the pulmonary congestion associated with left

sided heart failure will chronically increase workload on the
right heart and can eventually cause right heart failure.
Right Side Heart Failure
The right heart pumps deoxygenated blood out to the
lungs. Common causes of right heart failure include left heart
failure, stenosis of the pulmonary valve as well as pulmonary
diseases such as emphysema that increase the resistance to
blood flow from the right heart. The manifestations of right
heart failure include:

increased right ventricular workload;

venous congestion and distention;
peripheral edema and ascites as a result of blood
congestion in the venous return system (Figure 3, 4);
swelling of the liver with possible liver injury (cardiac
hepatitis) and failure;
gastrointestinal symptoms of anorexia and nausea from
poor G.I. blood flow.

Systolic Failure versus Diastolic Failure

A newer classification scheme for heart failure is based
not on left or right side failure but rather on whether the
failure occurs during systole or diastole. With systolic failure,
there is a decreased ejection of blood from the heart during
contraction; while with diastolic failure, filling of the
ventricles during relaxation is impaired. Recently, the
American Heart Association issued guidelines for treating
heart failure based upon whether patients are experiencing
systolic failure or diastolic failure(2).
Systolic failure is characterized by: (i) decreased
myocardial contractility; (ii) decreased ejection fraction (see
definition box); and (iii) Most commonly caused by conditions
that impair contractility such as ischemic heart disease, myocardial

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Fig 4. Consequences of right-side heart failure.

infarction and cardiomyopathy. The symptoms are mainly
those of reduced cardiac output.
Diastolic failure is experienced by approximately 20-40
percent of heart failure patients. These patients may have
preserved left ventricular systolic function but reduced
ventricular filling that may be associated with impaired
ventricular relaxation. Diastolic failures is associated with
conditions
such
as
restrictive
and
hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy. Its symptoms are primarily those of blood
congestion and may include marked dyspnea and fatigue.
PHYSIOLOGIC COMPENSATION FOR CHF
The overt signs and symptoms of heart failure (Table III) may
not appear in the early stages of the condition due to a number
of physiologic compensatory mechanisms that can activate to
maintain cardiac output. As a result of this lack of symptoms,
the early phase of CHF is referred to as compensated heart
failure. While these compensatory mechanisms are effective in
maintaining cardiac output in the short term, they will not be
able to maintain cardiac output for a long period of time and in
fact will increase workload on the failing heart and worsen the
progression of CHF. Decompensated heart failure is said to
occur when cardiac output is no longer adequately maintained
and overt symptoms appear. Physiologic compensations for
CHF include:

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education Vol. 66, Summer 2002

Table III. Clinical diagnosis of heart failure

Dyspnea with exertion, orthopnea, nocturnal dyspnea.
Rales, cough, hemoptysis (bloody sputum).
Distention of jugular veins, liver enlargement, ascites.
Peripheral and pulmonary edema.
ECG, chest x-ray for cardiac hypertrophy.
Echocardiography to assess cardiac function and ejection fraction.
Cardiac catheterization to assess hemodynamic function.

Fig 5. The Frank-Starling Principle.

1. Increased Cardiac Output

The normal heart will respond to increases in preload or
left ventricular end diastolic volume by increasing stroke
volume and cardiac output. The Frank-Starling principle
dictates that the greater the heart is stretched by filling, the
greater its responsive strength of contraction (Figure 5). With
heart failure, there is chronic increases in preload that
continually distend the cardiac muscle fibers and lead to
myocardial hypertrophy(3). While the Frank-Starling
mechanism is useful early in CHF, with time the cardiac muscle
fibers will be stretched beyond their maximum limit for efficient
contraction. At this point further increases in preload are not
matched by further increases in cardiac output. In addition, the
oxygen and nutrient demands of the enlarged myocardium
will eventually exceed the supply available through the
coronary blood flow and worsened failure will ensue.
2. Increased Sympathetic Activity
The decrease in cardiac output that occurs with heart failure
is associated with a decrease in blood pressure that activates
baroreceptors located in the aortic arch and carotid arteries.
Activated baroreceptors send signals to the autonomic regulatory
regions of the brain that in turn increase sympathetic input to the
heart. This sympathetic activation can be direct via
cardioaccelerator nerves or may take the form of increased
circulating levels of catechotamines from the adrenal medulla.
Both factors will exert positive inotropic (increased force of
contraction) and positive chronotropic (increased rate of
contraction) effects on the failing heart. In addition to the
increased metabolic demand these factors will place upon the
heart, the failing myocardium also becomes dependent upon
increased circulating levels of catecholamines to help it
maintain cardiac output. Over a period of time, the failing
myocardium becomes less responsive to the stimulatory
effects of the catecholamines and cardiac function continues to
deteriorate.
3. Activation of the Renin-Angiotensin System
The decrease in cardiac output that accompanies heart
failure also leads to significant reductions in renal blood flow.
The kidneys are extremely sensitive to changes in renal blood

Fig 6. Activation of the renin-angiotensin system with heart failure.

flow and respond to decreased perfusion by releasing the

enzyme renin from specialized cells within the juxtaglomerular
apparatus. In circulation, renin will initiate the formation of
angiotensin II and the release of aldosterone from the adrenal
gland (Figure 6). Angiotensin II is a powerful vasoconstrictor
that increases blood pressure (and afterload on a failing heart!)
while aldosterone acts on the renal tubules to enhance salt and
water retention thus increasing preload as well.
Other hormones that are also activated with heart failure
include antidiuretic hormone (ADH) from the pituitary gland
and atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) produced by atria in
response to increased chamber dilation(4). ADH release will
worsen fluid accumulation in the body by preventing water
loss from the kidney while ANF appears to act as an
endogenous diuretic and may have a some beneficial role in
enhancing the removal of fluids during CHF.
4. Ventricular Hypertrophy
As a long-term response to chronic increases in workload
the heart responds by increasing muscle mass. In the shortterm, increased muscle mass will provide an increased cardiac
output, but over time, function of the hypertrophied myocardium will suffer as nutrient and oxygen demands exceed what
can be supplied though the coronary circulation. At this point,
the efficiency of contraction decreases and contractile failure
ensues.

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Table IV. Drugs for treatment of heart failurea

Vasodilators
1. Organic nitrates (e.g., nitroglycerin) - dilate peripheral arteries and veins through relaxation of vascular smooth muscle. Reduce preload and
afterload on the heart.
2. Arterial vasodilators (e.g., prazosin) - cause dilation of peripheral arteries by blockade of a,-adrenoreceptors. Reduce afterload on the heart.
Diuretics
1. Thiazide diuretics (e.g., hydrochlorothiazide) - act on distal convoluted tubules of kidney to decrease active sodium reabsorption and increase
fluid excretion. Moderate potency.
2. Loop diuretics (e.g., furosemide) - powerful diuretics that inhibit the transport of sodium out of the ascending loop of Henle leading to the loss of
large volumes of sodium and fluids.
ACE inhibitors
e.g., Captopril, Enalapril
Block the formation of angiotensin II and aldosterone.
Lead to a reduction in vascular resistance and reduced sodium/fluid retention.
Shown to reduce mortality in CHF patientsb
Positive Inotropic Agents
1. Cardiac Glycosides (digoxin, digitalis) - increase force of cardiac contraction by increasing levels of intracellular calcium in cardiac muscle
cells.
2. Other cardiotonic agents (dobutamine) - 1-adrenoreceptor agonist used for treatment of acute heart failure.
3. Phosphodiesterase inhibitors (amrinone, milrinone) - increases force of contraction through increased cAMP levels in cardiac cells.
-Adrenergic Receptor Antagonists
Despite their potential for reducing cardiac output and force of contraction, numerous human clinical studies have reported an improvement
in symptoms, reduced hospitalization and decreased mortality in heart failure patients receiving -blocker therapy. The mechanism of their
beneficial effect is unclear but may be related to a blunting of the positive inotropic and chronotropic effects of adrenergic input to the failing
heart. There is additional evidence -blockers might reduced the risk of arrhythmia in CHF patients while enhancing myocardial remodeling
and improving cardiac energetics. The combined ,al antagonist Carvediol has also been shown to be of significant benefit in treating
patients with CHF.
a
b

See references 5, 6 and 7.

See references 8 and 9.

Table V. Common side effects of drugs used to treat heart failure

Vasodilators
Postural hypotension (drop in blood pressure that occurs upon standing), headache, peripheral edema, reflex tachycardia possible
Ace Inhibitors
Hypotension, dry cough, possible renal failure in patients with renal artery stenosis
Diuretics
1. Thiazides - glucose intolerance, hypokalemia
2. Loop diuretics - hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis
Cardiac Glycosides
Narrow margin of therapeutic safety
Adverse effects include nausea, vomiting, and arrhythmia
Marked effects on cardiac conduction that may be useful for treatment of rapid atrial arrhythmias
Increased toxicity with reduced plasma K+
Mainly renal elimination. May have increased half-life in elderly or patients with renal disease
-Blockers
-blockers should be initiated at low doses in selected CHF patients since there is an initial risk of worsened cardiac function
Not all p-blockers appear to exert the same beneficial effects in CHF and the specific drug to be used must be chosen with caution
Generalized side effects of -blocker use include bradycardia, decreased cardiac conduction, fatigue, sleep disturbances and altered
blood glucose
Non-specific -blocker may cause bronchospasm and should not be used in patients with asthma

HEART FAILURE
Clinical Symptoms. There are several characteristics
symptoms of heart failure. These include: (i) Shortness of
breath due to pulmonary congestion and edema; (ii) persistent
cough or wheezing due to fluid accumulation in the lungs; (iii)
fatigue and weakness from poor blood flow; (iv) swelling of
the feet, ankles, legs and possibly the abdomen as a result of
poor venous return and increased venous pressure that force
fluids out of circulation and into the tissues; (iv) lack of
appetite and nausea from poor blood flow to the G.I. tract;
and (vi) increased heart rate (tachycardia) that occurs in
response to reduced cardiac output.

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Diagnosis Of Heart Failure. Heart failure is often diagnosed

upon physical examination as a result of the overt symptoms
outlined above. Signs of pulmonary congestion may also be
heard though a stethoscope. Diagnostic tools such as an ECG
will reveal the presence of cardiac hypertrophy or past myocardial
infarction. Echocardiography can allow a physician to
visualize function of the heart and can be used to calculate a
patients ejection fraction. A simple x-ray can also be useful in
determining the size and shape of the heart as well as the
presence of any congestion that might be present in the lungs
(Table III).

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education Vol. 66, Summer 2002

Rationale For Treating Heart Failure. The rationale for the

treatment of heart failure may include: (i) restricting the
patients physical activity to reduce cardiac workload; (ii)
reduce preload on the heart by restricting salt and fluid intake,
use of vasodilator drugs to produce venous dilatation, and the
prudent use of diuretics to reduce fluid volume; (iii) reducing
the afterload on the heart by the use of arterial vasodilators, or
inhibition of angiotensin II and aldosterone effects by
angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors; (iv) causing
an increase contractility of the failing heart by the use of
positive inotropic agents such as digitalis glycosides or
inhibitors of heart-specific phosphodiesterases; and (v)
blunting the effects of adrenergic input with -adrenergic
receptor antagonists (see Table IV).
With severe heart failure the last resort might be a heart
transplant, although the current wait for transplant organs can
be several years. Mechanical pumps called left-ventricular
assist devices are currently available and can be used to take
over a portion of the hearts pumping function as a temporary
measure. However, these mechanical assist devices are not
designed as a long-term solution to heart failure. Considerable
advances have been recently made in the development and
implementation of self-contained mechanical hearts that are
deigned to be long-term replacements for the failing heart.
While many of the drugs currently used to treat patients
are very effective in improving cardiac function and overall
quality of life in affected patients, effective use of these agents
requires detailed understanding of their mechanisms of action
and pharmacokinetics. Agents like the digitalis glycosides have
very narrow margins of therapeutic safety and can be associated
with severe side effects and toxicities. Some of the common
adverse effects of the drugs used to treat congestive heart
failure are listed in Table V.
REVIEW EXERCISES
Several techniques have proven useful in helping students
review key concepts associated with heart failure as well as to
test their comprehension of the subject matter. One technique
used is to make up a number(10-12) of cardboard cutouts with
one symptom of either left or right heart failure on each. As
students walk into the room, they are randomly given one of the
cards with a symptom on it (for example, ascites,
pulmonary edema, etc). Lines are then drawn dividing the
blackboard into three equal sections and titled Left Heart Failure,

Right Heart Failure and Both Left and Right Heart

Failure. Students who have the symptom cards to tape their
symptom in the appropriate section. We then ask the class to
vote whether each symptom is correct and have someone
explain why it is or is not placed in the correct column. A
mind-mapping exercise also works very well for heart
failure where the class (as a small group exercise) essentially
draws flow charts for left and right heart failure that begin
with possible causes and progress through effects on various
organs and eventually to the resulting symptoms and
treatments. A simple case study is also useful for relating
some of the pathophysiologic changes in CHF to their clinical
manifestations. The third-year pathophysiology course is one
of the first places in the pharmacy curriculum that students are
exposed to the case study format. As a result, cases tend to be
straight-forward, focusing mainly on the physiologic
manifestations of the disease and not necessarily treatment
since students have yet to have pharmacology or therapeutics
courses (see sample Case Study). Feedback from students on
the usefulness of case studies in pathophysiology has thus far
been quite positive.
References
(1) Porth, CM., Heart failure
and circulatory shock,
in
Pathophysiology:Concepts of Altered Health States, 5th ed., Lippincott,
Philadelphia, PA (1998) pp. 427-456.
(2) Hunt, H.A. et al., ACC/AHA Guidelines for the evaluation and
management of chronic heart failure in the adult, Circulation, 104, 29963019(2001).
(3) Guyton, A.C. and Hall, J.E., Heart muscle: The heart as a pump, in
Human Physiology and Mechanisms of Disease, 6th ed., W.B. Saunders,
Philadelphia, PA (1997) p.91.
(4) Hadley, M.E., Endocrinolgy, 4th ed., Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River,
NJ(1996),pp..351-353.
(5) Cohn, J.N., The management of chronic heart failure, N. Engl. J. Med.,
325,490-498(1996).
(6) Ooi, H. and Colucci, W., Pharmacological treatment of heart failure, in
Goodman and Gilmans Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (edit.,
Hardman, J.E., Limbird, L.E., Gilman, A.G.), 10th ed., McGraw-Hill, New
York (2001) pp. 901-932.
(7) Katzung, B.G. and Parmley, W.W., Cardiac glycosides and other drugs
used in congestive heart failure, in Basic and Clinical Pharmacology
(edit. Katzung, B.G.), 8th ed., Lange, New York, (2001) pp. 200-218.
(8) CONSENSUS Trial Study Group, Effects of enalapril on mortality in
severe congestive heart failure. Results of the Cooperative North
Scandinavian Enalapril Survival Group, N. Engl. J. Med., 316, 14291435(1987).
(9) SOLVD Investigators, Effect of enalapril on survival in patients with
reduced left ventricular ejection fractions and congestive heart failure,
ibid., 325, 293-320(1992).

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