Congestive heart failure is a combination of right heart failure and left heart failure. It is characterised by elevated jugular venous pressure, enlargement of liver, dependant edema and pulmonary congestion. It is often the final common pathway for most serious cardiac ailments. It can be secondary to valvular heart disease or myocardial disease. In adults, the most common cause would be severe coronary artery disease. Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy is also an important cause of congestive cardiac failure. Congestive cardiac failure can be treated symptomaticallyl with diuretics, digoxin and afterload reducing agents like ACE inhibitors. Specific treatment addressed at the cause will be much more rewarding, like valve replacement / repair in case of severe valvular heart disease causing congestive cardiac failure. Revascularisation of coronary arteries can also improve the heart failure in some cases. Some forms of reversible cardiac failure like those due to myocarditis or peripartum cardiomyopathy improve with symptomatic treatment alone.
