Circulatory failure is a condition of the circulatory system in which the circulatory system does not lose its ability to supply the body and organs with oxygen and nutrients, which is related to their ischemia. Circulatory failure may be the result of heart failure or the failure of the entire circuit. The most common symptoms are edema and shortness of breath.

What is circulatory failure?

Blood is an essential element for the life and proper functioning of the body. It allows oxygen, carbon dioxide and nutrients to be carried into our body cells. Some ailments may, unfortunately, lead to disturbances in the proper blood flow through the organs – then we are talking aboutcirculatory failure,i.e. damage to the work of the heart. Every year, more than two hundred thousand Poles are diagnosed with heart failure. It is dangerous because it leads to life-threatening complications. Circulatory failure is an increasingly serious problem, which is influenced by an inappropriate lifestyle, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle and smoking.

Circulatory failure – causes

THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF CIRCULAR FAILURE

1. hypertension,
2. diabetes,
3. alcohol,
4. drugs,
5. medications used,
6. an acquired or congenital heart defect,
7. cigarettes,
8. hyperthyroidism / hypothyroidism,
9. asthma,
10. chronic bronchitis,
11. bad diet,
12. infarct,
13. a diet low in vitamin B1,
14. anemia.

We recommenda dietary supplement with alfalfa, which, thanks to the composition of natural active ingredients, helps counteract circulatory failure and heart disease.

Considering the cause of circulatory failure, we can divide it into:

1. cardiovascular – its cause is the impaired functioning of the heart as a suction and pressure pump,
2. peripheral – the cause lies outside the heart.

Depending on whether the cause of the circulatory failure is the right ventricle (pumping blood through the pulmonary artery into the small or pulmonary circulation) or the left ventricle (pumping blood into the large circulation through the aorta), we can distinguish:

1. left ventricular circulatory failure,
2. right ventricular circulatory failure.

Based on the time and speed of the development of heart failure, we can distinguish:

1. acute circulatory failure,
2. chronic circulatory failure.

Circulatory failure may also appear in people:

1. with defects of the septum of the heart,
2. anemia,
3. beriberi ailment,
4. thyroid disorders.

The type of symptoms you are experiencing may indicate the type of heart failure:

1. Acute circulatory failure: there ispain near the heartwith the accompanying sensation of irregular, slow or significantly increased heart rate;
2. Acute left ventricular heart failure presenting as pulmonary edema: the patient’s breathing is heavy and wheezing;
3. Acute right-sided heart failure as a consequence of pulmonary embolism: there is suddenchest pain,cyanosisin the face and upper torso, accompanied by shortness of breath, disappearing pulse and heavy sweat;
4. Circulatory failure as a consequence of damage to the central nervous system: suddenloss of consciousness, speech abnormalities, asymmetry of facial features, more or less pronouncedparesis of one of the limbs.

Acute circulatory failure

The symptoms of acute circulatory failure include:

1. sudden, rapidly progressing general weakness,
2. feeling of increasingbreathlessness,
3. progressive fading,
4. cold sweat (especially on the face)
5. fast or irregularheart rate,
6. an accelerated and usually hardly perceptibleheart rate.

Acute circulatory failure occurs when:

1. brain damage (then neurological symptoms appear in the form of limb paresis or speech and vision disorders);
2. lung diseases (there is a characteristic pulmonary edema in which fluid accumulates);
3. heart arrhythmia attacks (you may feel irregular beats around your heart);
4. pulmonary embolism (there is severe pain in the chest with a blue color in the face and body).

Acute heart failure – management

If you notice a group of the above-mentioned symptoms, you should immediately call an ambulance. While waiting, the patient must be placed in a quiet and comfortable half-sitting position and ensure a supply of fresh air.

Diagnosis and treatment of acute circulatory failure

The doctor orders tests to confirm the cause of the symptoms. These are:

1. ECG examination;
2. ion concentration testing;
3. study of heart markers;
4. Chest X-ray,
5. echocardiography;
6. arterial blood gas analysis.

Treatment of acute heart failure is based on the intake of drugs that improve blood flow in the coronary vessels of the heart. The following are used: diuretics that have a diuretic effect and thus reduce the load on the heart by removing water from the body, and agents that increase the strength of heart contraction (e.g. dopamine). In patients with additional cardiac arrhythmias, antiarrhythmic preparations are administered. Additionally, the patient should be provided with proper oxygen flow by using an oxygen mask and their breathing should be monitored on an ongoing basis.

Chronic circulatory failure

Chronic heart failure sometimes worsens over many years during which cardiac function is gradually impaired.

One of the basic symptoms of chronic heart failure. Swelling is caused by fluid build-up in various parts of the body, such as the pleura, peritoneum, and pericardium. Edema of the lower extremities is characteristic. They have a pasty character, i.e. after pressing with a finger, the skin and subcutaneous tissues do not return to their original shape quickly (just like a ball made of raw dough). Other typical sites of edema are the area between the shoulder blades and the sacro-lumbar (“cross”) area – these occur when lying down. Most often they appear at night, during the day they decrease – the so-called orthostatic edema.

The most common symptoms of chronic heart failure are:

1. swelling– caused by the accumulation of an excessive amount of fluid in the extracellular spaces and in the body cavities; they are the basic symptom of circulatory failure; the most typical is the swelling located on the lower extremities – after pressing the swollen skin with a finger, it does not quickly return to its previous shape; swelling can also occur between the shoulder blades or in the sacro-lumbar region;
2. shortnessof breath – shortness of breath or shortness of breath, difficulty breathing air; this is the second symptom (in addition to edema) that may indicate heart failure; breathlessness occurs because a build-up of fluid in the lungs makes it difficult for oxygen to enter the blood; the development of circulatory failure causes an increase in dyspnea. In some patients (in a less advanced stage), this symptom appears only during physical exertion, such as climbing stairs.
3. grayish-gray discoloration of the skin;
4. persistentcoughwith watery-mucous sputum removal,
5. less urine output
6. increased need to urinate at night,
7. tiredness,
8. somnolence.

Diagnosis and treatment of chronic circulatory failure

Additional tests used in the diagnosis of the disease are:

1. urine test,
2. chest x-ray examination,
3. EKG,
4. echo of the heart,
5. magnetic resonance imaging,
6. angiography,
7. blood tests aimed at assessing: ion concentration, heart markers, liver and kidney tests and morphology.

Treatment of chronic renal failure

Treatment of this type of heart failure is carried out by a doctor. The method of treatment is selected individually for the patient, depending on what is the cause of the disease, its severity and the coexistence of other ailments. As it is commonly known, prevention is better than cure, therefore, in addition to taking pharmacological agents, a proper diet and lifestyle changes are very important.

Surgical treatment for circulatory failure includes:

1. setting up by-passes,
2. angioplasty,
3. heart valve surgery.

Patients should:

1. get vaccinated against the flu
2. limit the amount of fluids consumed,
3. reduce body weight (proper diet and exercise),
4. limit the amount of table salt in your diet,
5. quit smoking,
6. avoid taking over-the-counter medications,
7. refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages.

Circulatory failure – complications

Untreated circulatory failure leads to serious complications, such as:

1. kidney diseases, most often kidney failure;
2. circulatory disorders in the brain,
3. liver and lung fibrosis,
4. persistent and unresponsive to treatment hypertension,
5. the permanent remodeling of the heart