What Is Congestive Heart Failure?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
4. Edema
As our blood is pumped around our body, it is necessary for it to complete a circuit. This means that once it has made the journey down to the bottom of the body, it must make the journey back up again. This is not usually a problem, but the journey back up becomes a lot harder when the heart is not pumping at 100%,
If the heart is not pumping enough to be able to push blood back up the system, then fluids can begin to accumulate at the patient’s feet and ankles. This causes a condition known as edema and there are a number of potential causes of it.
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