Heart failure is defined, clinically, as a syndrome (a set of medical signs and symptoms) in which patients have typical symptoms of breathlessness, ankle swelling, and fatigue resulting from an abnormality of structure or function of the heart.

Heart failure is a condition caused by the heart struggling to pump sufficient blood around the body which carries oxygen and nutrients. It either can’t fill with enough blood (diastolic / HFPEF) or no longer has the force to squeeze enough nutrient-rich blood and oxygen to the body (systolic / HFREF).Some people have both problems. There are various causes as to why the heart pumps inefficiently, but generally the muscle layer of the heart has become stiff or weak, an abnormal rhythm has been identified or there are problems with the valves in the heart.

If you have heart failure, it does not mean your heart is about to stop working. It means your heart needs some support to do its job, usually in the form of medicines and cardiac devices.It causes 2-3 times as many deaths as advanced cancers like bowel and breast cancer.2 The voices of more than 26 million people living with heart failure are not being heard.