Left-sided heart failure

Alternative names:

congestive heart failure - left

Symptoms:

• shortness of breath, with activity or when lying down
• need to sleep with the head elevated to avoid shortness of breath
• sensation of feeling the heart beat (palpitations)
• irregular or rapid pulse
• cough (produces frothy or blood-tinged mucus)
• fatigue, weakness, faintness
• decreased urine production (oliguria)
• infants may have poor feeding, weight loss, and failure to thrive

Signs and tests:

Physical examination may reveal irregular or rapid heartbeat. A heart murmur may be present. Respiratory rate may be increased above 20 breaths per minute (greater than 60 breaths per minute in infants). There may signs of pleural effusion (fluid around the lungs). Listening to the chest (auscultation) may reveal lung crackles or abnormal heart sounds.

An ECG may show arrhythmias and/or cardiac stress.
Enlargement of the heart or decreased heart functioning may be seen on these tests:

• chest X-ray
• echocardiogram

Other tests that may (occasionally) be performed include:

• chest CT scan
• coronary angiography

Multiple laboratory studies may be performed, including CBC, blood chemistry, urinalysis, and others to determine the cause and effects of heart failure.