Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to maintain sufficient cardiac output -the amount of blood pumped by the heart each minute -for the body's needs. It may involve the left side of the heart, the right side, or both. In left heart failure the main symptom is breathlessness. The symptoms of right heart failure include pripheral oedema (swelling), beginning in the feet and ankles. This is known as pitting oedema if, when a finger is pushed into the swelling, it causes a small depression or pit.

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