Heart Failure in Spanish

What it means

Heart failure means that the heart can't pump enough oxygen-rich blood to meet the body's needs. It doesn't mean that the heart has stopped or is about to stop beating. Heart failure can affect one or both sides of the heart, and in most cases it develops slowly from long-term medical conditions; conditions that can cause it include coronary artery disease and high blood pressure. Most symptoms are caused by reduced blood flow to the organs and fluid buildup in the body. They may include feeling short of breath when doing things like climbing stairs, fatigue or weakness, swelling and weight gain from fluid in the ankles, lower legs, or abdomen, and difficulty sleeping when lying flat. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute calls it a serious condition that needs medical care.

Spanish term: Insuficiencia cardíaca
Gender and article: feminine: la insuficiencia cardíaca
Pronunciation: een-soo-fee-SYEN-syah kar-DEE-ah-kah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
fallo cardíaco	General	Name MedlinePlus en español gives in parentheses in its opening sentence, written there as "fallo cardiaco".
insuficiencia cardíaca congestiva	General	NHLBI's Spanish page says heart failure is also known by this name; MedlinePlus en español lists it under 'Otros nombres'.
ICC	General	Abbreviation listed by MedlinePlus en español under 'Otros nombres'.
IC	General	Abbreviation listed by MedlinePlus en español under 'Nombres alternativos' in its encyclopedia article.

Insuficiencia cardíaca is the term used by MedlinePlus en español and by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in Spanish, and it is feminine: la insuficiencia cardíaca. MedlinePlus en español adds a second name in its opening sentence, La insuficiencia cardíaca (o fallo cardiaco). NHLBI says the condition is también conocida como insuficiencia cardíaca congestiva. MedlinePlus en español lists the abbreviation ICC under other names, and its encyclopedia article also lists IC.

As in English, the name can be misread. NHLBI's Spanish page states that the term insuficiencia cardíaca no significa que el corazón haya dejado de funcionar. The two sides are insuficiencia cardíaca del lado derecho and del lado izquierdo. Symptom words on the MedlinePlus en español page include falta de aire (shortness of breath), hinchazón (swelling, with edema in parentheses) and fatiga o debilidad (fatigue or weakness).

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I get short of breath when I climb the stairs.	Me falta el aire cuando subo las escaleras.
Clinician	Have you noticed swelling in your ankles or legs?	¿Ha notado hinchazón en los tobillos o en las piernas?
Patient	Yes, and I have gained weight this week without eating more.	Sí, y he subido de peso esta semana sin comer más.
Clinician	Can you sleep lying flat, or do you need extra pillows?	¿Puede dormir en posición horizontal, o necesita más almohadas?
Patient	I need two pillows, and I wake up at night with a cough.	Necesito dos almohadas, y me despierto de noche con tos.
Clinician	Has anyone in your family had heart failure?	¿Alguien de su familia ha tenido insuficiencia cardíaca?
Clinician	I am going to order blood tests and heart tests.	Voy a pedirle análisis de sangre y pruebas del corazón.
Clinician	I am going to give you a referral to a cardiologist.	Voy a darle una derivación para un cardiólogo.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Heart Failure
Spanish (Español)	Insuficiencia cardíaca
Chinese (中文)	心臟衰竭
Korean (한국어)	심부전
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Suy tim
Filipino (Tagalog)	Pagpalya ng Puso
Portuguese (Português)	Insuficiência cardíaca
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	หัวใจล้มเหลว
Japanese (日本語)	心不全

Where you'll see it

chartEOBmedical recordreferralprescription

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: I50 → Heart failure

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Heart and circulation

All terms in this area: Heart and circulation — Corazón y circulación

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.