heart failure

Definition of heart failure

1 : a condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood at an adequate rate or in adequate volume

2 : cessation of heartbeat : death

Examples of heart failure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In The New Pope, Lenny Belardo’s improbable survival after heart failure is like the Church’s and like Christ’s: one of the greatest shows on Earth. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The New Pope’s Old Magic," 8 Jan. 2020 Ming suffered from kidney and heart failure, according to John Annese of the Daily News. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "A Farewell to Ming, the Siberian-Bengal Tiger Who Spent Three Years in a Harlem Apartment," 7 Oct. 2019 Peripartum cardiomyopathy Also called PPCM, this is a relatively rare form of heart failure that can set in between the last month of pregnancy and up to five months postpartum, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). — Patia Braithwaite, SELF, "11 Health Conditions You Should Know About If You’re Black and Pregnant," 30 July 2019 The device, currently in clinical trials, was used for the first time in the United States Sunday to transplant the heart of a 26-year-old man who died of cardiac arrest into a 60-year-old veteran with heart failure. — Nicole Brown, CBS News, "How a device used to revive a heart could "revolutionize" transplants," 4 Dec. 2019 Fully Implantable Left Ventricular Assist Device for patients with advanced heart failure, currently in development. — Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, "Business People: MEDA names Martel president and CEO," 24 Nov. 2019 The actor died at Royal United Hospital Bath in the U.K. after suffering from pneumonia, which led to heart failure, Fowlds' longtime friend and personal assistant Helen Bennett confirmed in a statement shared by his representative, Belinda Wright. — Rasha Ali, USA TODAY, "British actor Derek Fowlds, of 'Yes Minister' and 'Heartbeat,' dies at 82," 17 Jan. 2020 While selenium is an essential nutrient at lower levels of exposure, high levels can disrupt the nervous system and cause kidney and heart failure, and even death. — Travis Loller, Twin Cities, "Trump administration eases Obama-era rules on coal pollution," 4 Nov. 2019 Stacy-Ann was in heart failure, with her heart operating with just 36% of its normal function. — Laura Hanrahan, Woman's Day, "What Is Maternal Mortality? It's Taking The Lives Of Too Many Women," 10 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heart failure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

19 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Heart failure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heart%20failure. Accessed 20 Feb. 2020.

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