Question

the heart is considered a double pump, what does that mean? how does this pumping become impaired during congestive heart failure? what the stages of congestive heart failure? how can congestive heart failure cause a person to be susceptible to disease during this this time

Answer 1

Heart is a double pump because each side pumps blood to diferent circulation, pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation.  The right side of your heart receives oxygen-poor blood from your veins and pumps it to your lungs, where it picks up oxygen and gets rid of carbon dioxide while the The left side of your heart receives oxygen-rich blood from your lungs and pumps it through your arteries to the rest of your body.

Congestive cardiac failure, occurs when your heart muscle doesn't pump blood as well as it should, in this condition.the left ventricle cannot pump blood to the body because of which fluid backs up and leaks into the lungs causing shortness of breath and  the right ventricle cannot adequately pump blood to the lungs.

Congestiv cardiac failure can be of 4 types,

Stage A, It means you are at high risk of developing heart failure because you have a family history of heart failure or you have one of more of these medical conditions like hypertension, diabetese, coronary heart disease, etc.

Stage B,  It means you have been diagnosed with systolic left ventricular dysfunction but have never had symptoms of heart failure

Stage C,it means you have been diagnosed with heart failure and have or had signs and symptoms of the condition

Stage D, It means have advanced symptoms that do not get better with treatment..

When the heart is not able to pump efficiently, blood can back up into the veins that take blood through the lungs. this condition is known as pulmonary edema, which can be very dangerous if not treated early. Congestive cardiac failure also can lead to an irregular or erratic heart rate, which can cause the heart to form blood clots which can lead to stroke