Added: Jul 20, 2008

Heart failure (HF) doesn't mean an abrupt failure of the heart. Heart failure is a dysfunction in the pumping action of the heart due to its inability to contract or relax properly. Typically, the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) do not beat efficiently, as they do in a healthy heart. As heart failure progresses, the body attempts to compensate for it by increasing the size of the heart.