What Is Heart Failure? The heart is a muscle. It pumps oxygen-
rich blood to all parts of the body. When you have heart
failure, the heart can’t pump as well as it should. Blood and
fluid may back up into the lungs, and some parts of the body
don’t get enough oxygen-rich blood to work normally. These
problems lead to the symptoms you feel. When You Have Heart
Failure Because of heart failure, not enough blood leaves the
heart with each beat. There are two types of heart failure. Both
affect the ventricles’ ability to pump blood. You may have one
or both types. Systolic heart failure: The heart muscle becomes
weak and enlarged. It can’t pump enough blood forward when the
ventricles contract. Ejection fraction is lower than normal.
Diastolic heart failure: The heart muscle becomes stiff. It
doesn’t relax normally between contractions, which keeps the
ventricles from filling with blood. Ejection fraction is often
in the normal range. How Heart Failure Affects Your Body When
the heart doesn’t pump enough blood, ho