Signs and symptoms of decompensated heart failure
One of the main symptoms of decompensated heart failure is dyspnea, the medical term for shortness of breath. Wheezing, edema, and coughing at night may also appear. A 2017 review suggests that people with acute decompensated heart failure usually have congestion and fluid retention symptoms, such as: weight gain shortness of breath during exercise orthopnea, which is shortness of breath while lying down that subsides in other positions dependent edema, where fluid pools in the lower parts of the body The review explains that acute heart failure can be life threatening and requires immediate treatment as it can lead to fluid overload. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)Trusted Source, heart failure can cause health problems such as: fluid buildup in the lungs kidney and liver damage an irregular heartbeat a leaky heart valve sudden cardiac arrest