Free BCEN Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) Practice Question

Heart failure is a condition where the heart is unable to pump blood effectively to meet the body's needs. This can be due to the heart's inability to fill with blood (diastolic failure) or to eject blood (systolic failure). It's important to understand that heart failure is not a sudden stopping of the heart, but rather a chronic condition that can worsen over time. The other options, while related to cardiovascular issues, do not accurately define heart failure. Myocardial infarction is a sudden event causing heart muscle death, while hypertension is high blood pressure, which can lead to heart failure but is not the same condition.