Heart Failure – An Overview

In this lesson, we will clarify what is meant when we refer to heart failure.  We will talk about different types of heart failure and causes and risk factors for developing each.  We will also review how signs and symptoms of different types of heart failure differ from each other.  Finally we will define some important terminology related to understanding the causes of heart failure.

Learning Objectives:

Upon the completion of this lesson, learners will be able to:

1. Describe causes and risk factors for systolic heart failure
2. Discuss causes and risk factors for diastolic heart failure
3. Explain cardiac preload
4. Review cardiac afterload