Congestive heart failure and cardiac output

Congestive Heart Failure 
Congestive heart failure occurs when the cardiac output is insufficient to meet the body's needs. The term congestive is used because heart failure is accompanied by increased venous volume and pressure. When the left side of the heart fails to pump blood, due perhaps to a heart attack or valve failure, fluid backs up in the lungs and produces pulmonary conges­tion and edema. The result is shortness of breath and fatigue; if severe, pulmonary edema can be fatal. During the past 20 years, deaths from congestive heart failure have increased by one-third, even though heart attacks are down 25% and strokes are down 40%.
Treatment consists of the three Ds: diuretics (which in­crease urinary output), digoxin (which increases the heart's contractile force), and dilators (which relax the blood vessels). Surgical repair and replacement are also possible. Heart transplants are done, or a piece of muscle is taken from the back, brought into the thorax, and wrapped around the heart.