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Fluid In Lungs And Abdomen, Congested Liver. Breathlessness. Any Feedback?
My Dad who is 82 years old went to the hospital because his tests showed that he had fluids in his lungs and his abdomen , his liver was congested and the walls of his gall bladder were thick. the doctors at the hospital identified that this was caused by some heart related incident and on doing an echo said that his heart was pumping at 20% only. however, they were amazed that he was walking about on his own, etc though he seems to have slight breathlessness once in a while. Any suggestion or feedback for on his condition and what I should be asking the hospital/ doctors?
Mon, 17 Dec 2012
Hello
Your father is suffering from congestive heart failure( CHF ).
With mild to moderate CHF, the heart is not as powerful as it once was. As less blood is pumped out of the heart with each beat, the blood returning to the heart through the veins backs up. This back-up causes fluid congestion in the tissues. When that congestion occurs in the lungs, the person experiences shortness of breath.
This is the reason your father is having fluid in lungs and abdomen and there is congestion in liver.
20% pumping action means ejection fraction is very low.
Normal range of ejection fraction is 50 to 75 %.
lower the Ejection Fraction number,Higher the Risk.
Ejection fraction, or EF, is the percentage of blood that is pumped out of the heart during each beat. Doctors often use EF to determine how healthy your heart is and how well it is functioning as a pump.
Your EF number is a key indicator of your heart health.
A low EF number is a serious health risk. If you’re a heart patient with an EF of 35 or below, you’re at significantly higher risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
Since the EF is 20%,your father is at great risk and should be hospitalised.
Treatment required is to remove the fluids and increase the contractile power of heart with help of medications.
Let the doctors assess and treat him and so it should be left on them.
Thanks
Your father is suffering from congestive heart failure( CHF ).
With mild to moderate CHF, the heart is not as powerful as it once was. As less blood is pumped out of the heart with each beat, the blood returning to the heart through the veins backs up. This back-up causes fluid congestion in the tissues. When that congestion occurs in the lungs, the person experiences shortness of breath.
This is the reason your father is having fluid in lungs and abdomen and there is congestion in liver.
20% pumping action means ejection fraction is very low.
Normal range of ejection fraction is 50 to 75 %.
lower the Ejection Fraction number,Higher the Risk.
Ejection fraction, or EF, is the percentage of blood that is pumped out of the heart during each beat. Doctors often use EF to determine how healthy your heart is and how well it is functioning as a pump.
Your EF number is a key indicator of your heart health.
A low EF number is a serious health risk. If you’re a heart patient with an EF of 35 or below, you’re at significantly higher risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
Since the EF is 20%,your father is at great risk and should be hospitalised.
Treatment required is to remove the fluids and increase the contractile power of heart with help of medications.
Let the doctors assess and treat him and so it should be left on them.
Thanks
I find this answer helpful
Hi,
Thanks for posting your query.
Your father is suffering congested heart failure (CHF) because of heart disease.
Presence of low ejection fraction (20%) along with congested liver and fluid around lungs and in abdomen suggests the diagnosis.
You should consult with internal medicine specialist/ cardiologist and should go for thorough check up.
He should take diuretics along with ACE inhibitors for improving heart performance.
Take care,
Dr. Mayank Bhargava
Thanks for posting your query.
Your father is suffering congested heart failure (CHF) because of heart disease.
Presence of low ejection fraction (20%) along with congested liver and fluid around lungs and in abdomen suggests the diagnosis.
You should consult with internal medicine specialist/ cardiologist and should go for thorough check up.
He should take diuretics along with ACE inhibitors for improving heart performance.
Take care,
Dr. Mayank Bhargava
I find this answer helpful
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