When discussing my heart failure, I’ve heard my doctor mention the terms “systolic” and “diastolic” dysfunction. What are they?
When your heart beats, it goes through two phases. In the first phase, the ventricles are at rest. The atria con-tract and pump blood into the ventricles; doctors call this phase diastole or the resting phase. In the second more active phase, called systole, the ventricles contract and force the blood out into the circulatory system. Patients with heart failure have suffered from some condition that has damaged the heart muscle. The resulting damage weakens the ventricle (most often the left ventricle) so that it has difficulty pumping blood out to the rest of the body; this is known as systolic dysfunction.
In some cases of heart failure, the ventricle becomes stiff so that it has difficulty filling with blood; this is known as diastolic dysfunction. As a result, the amount of blood the heart can pump decreases, and the heart’s ability to manage any additional workload is decreased. It is important for your doctor to determine what type of dysfunction is causing your heart failure, because each type has different causes and different treatments.