What is the difference between Congestive Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease?
For all you really smart people out there:
What is the difference between Congestive Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease?
Categories: All Others Tags: artery, between, Congestive, Coronary, difference, disease, Failure, Heart
As an EMT I have been asked this question several times, and it always depends on the situation. In the event of Congestive Heart Failure, clots in arterial walls created by cholesterols or scars. As the heart pumps harder to move blood around these obstructions, it slowly weakens the muscle to the point where it stops completely.
Coronary Artery Disease is very general. It can refer to multiple diseases. You are most likely referring to a coronary obstruction. In this process, a coronary artery is blocked, starving the heart’s cells of oxygen and other nutrients. The body will shut the heart down and rapidly create new coronary arteries around the blockage. Unfortunately, during this rapid process, much of the heart muscle can die.
In short, Congestive Heart Failure is the result of blockages going away from the heart, and a resultant weakening of the muscle. A Coronary Artery Blockage is a process in which the heart is weakened by shutting itself down while new coronary arteries are formed.
http://www.adam.com/democontent/wci/articles/000013.htm
Heart failure means your heart muscle does not pump as much blood as your body needs. Failure does not mean that your heart has stopped. It means that your heart is not pumping as well as it should.
http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/guide/disease/cad/understandingcad.htm
http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/guide/disease/cad/caddevelop.htm
The coronary arteries supply your heart with blood, oxygen and nutrients. When blood flow through the coronary arteries becomes obstructed, it’s known as coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease is caused by the gradual buildup of fatty deposits in your coronary arteries (atherosclerosis). As the deposits slowly narrow your coronary arteries, your heart receives less blood. Eventually, diminished blood flow may cause chest pain (angina), shortness of breath or other symptoms. A complete blockage can cause a heart attack.
CHF..heart fails as a pump and there are many causes.
CAD..obstructed coronary arteries cause myocardial (heart muscle) dysfunction and is one cause of CHF.
CHF means that the heart is becoming an ineffective pump. As a result, fluid starts backing up in to the lungs and body. CAD means that plaque buildup is narrowing the blood vessels supplying the heart, the precursor to having a heart attack
This Patient Guide is written for the loved ones of heart patients who are dealing with the short-term stress that comes with a test, procedure or recent diagnosis of heart disease. It explains why support is so important to a loved one with heart disease. It also offers practical strategies on how to support a loved one while also taking care of yourself.