heart failure

American  

noun

1. a condition in which the heart fatally ceases to function.

2. Also called congestive heart failure.  a condition in which the heart fails to pump adequate amounts of blood to the tissues, resulting in accumulation of blood returning to the heart from the veins, and often accompanied by distension of the ventricles, edema, and shortness of breath.

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heart failure British  

noun

1. a condition in which the heart is unable to pump an adequate amount of blood to the tissues, usually resulting in breathlessness, swollen ankles, etc

2. sudden and permanent cessation of the heartbeat, resulting in death

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heart failure Scientific  

1. An acute or chronic inability of the heart to maintain adequate blood circulation to the peripheral tissues and the lungs, usually characterized by fatigue, edema, and shortness of breath. Heart failure has many causes, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, and cardiomyopathy.

2. Also called congestive heart failure

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Etymology

Origin of heart failure

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Less than two weeks later, Merck said its other heart pill, Winrevair, had succeeded in Phase 2 trials for the treatment of a certain form of heart failure.

From Barron's

“To Absent Friends” draws its title from a favorite Welty toast, a gesture that surely acquired special poignancy after Lyell died of congestive heart failure.

From The Wall Street Journal

Food and Drug Administration instructions to "carve out" a patented method for using the drug to treat heart failure from its label.

From Reuters

The second group includes medically frail people who are older and already in poor health from conditions such as chronic kidney disease and congestive heart failure.

From Washington Post

Dr. Abhash Thakur, a cardiologist, said he routinely saw patients in the late stages of congestive heart failure who had never seen a cardiologist or been prescribed heart medication.

From New York Times