New Advances in Treating Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure is an insidious opponent,of stress off of the lungs, heart and other organs.
possessing a slow onset that results in a patientThis will also usually be accompanied by
often not even noticing they are havingsupplemental potassium, as the renal system will
symptoms. Over time the patient will suffer fromremove potassium along with the excess fluid and
worsening dyspnea and edema that will eventuallyhypokalemia carries with it its own hazards.
drive them to seek treatment, where they willA great deal of attention in the field of medicine
discover that for whatever reason their heart ishas been focused on the body's production of
no longer able to function properly.angiotensin II as it aggravates congestive heart
Heart failure occurs when the cells of the heartfailure. Angiotensin II is a substance produced by
tissue are either destroyed or madethe body which raises blood pressure and causes
non-functional due to another cardiac event, oftenthe blood vessels to constrict, thereby forcing the
secondary to ischemic heart disease or coronaryheart to work much harder to pump blood
artery disease. As a result, the heart is no longerthroughout the body. An ACE inhibitor will often
able to pump the blood throughout the bodybe administered to prevent the body from
properly; instead the blood pools, resulting in fluidsmaking angiotensin II, and an angiotensin receptor
being retained rather than excreted properly andblocker is available to those who do not respond
oxygen starved organs being unable to function.as desired to the ACE inhibitor. Many patients with
The death of these cells is critical because, likeheart problems are given nitroglycerin for this
brain cells, once the cells of the heart die thereason.
body is unable to reproduce them and restore fullAlong with medicine, research into the field of
function to the heart. Congestive heart failurecongestive heart failure is ongoing. The speculated
carries with it a high mortality rate, with over fiftyuse of stem cells, particularly embryonic stem
percent of its victims dying within five years ofcells, has opened a whole field of debate for
being diagnosed. Doctors and researchers are ablepossible treatment of heart failure in the science
to use modern advancements in medicine tocommunity. Patients with congestive heart failure
make the patient more comfortable and, in manywere given some of their own stem cells in the
cases, to provide them with a more favorableheart via injection, and all reacted favorably.
prognosis.Scientists are unsure as to whether this is
Many patients do not even discover that theybecause the stem cells aid the body in growing
have suffered heart failure until they are broughtnew vessels or simply act as a lighthouse for the
into the Emergency Department of their localbody's natural healing mechanisms, drawing other
hospital complaining of chest pain and difficultycells to the site of the damage. Whichever the
breathing. Doctors will stabilize them there, givingcase may be, stem cells present a fascinating
them supplemental oxygen and beginning a courseopportunity to finally find a means by which to
of medicinal treatment that will carry them out ofrestore heart function to patients who have
the hospital.suffered heart failure.
Modern science has provided physicians with aModern science is providing a whole new world of
wide array of methods with which to combat thetreatment options to patients with congestive
damage done by congestive heart failure. Onceheart failure, and researchers are making new
oxygen is returned to an acceptable level adiscoveries all the time. It is the hope of all of
physician will usually administer a diuretic tothose in the medical field that one day heart
stimulate the renal system to pull fluid out offailure will be another disease medicine has the
circulation, relieving the edema and taking a greatanswer to.