What condition occurs when the heart pumps too weakly to meet the body's blood flow needs?

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Pumping too weakly to meet the body's blood flow needs describes heart failure. When the heart’s pumping action is insufficient, cardiac output falls and tissues don’t receive enough oxygen and nutrients. The body may try to compensate by increasing heart rate and activating fluid-retaining systems, but these adjustments can lead to more symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, and sometimes fluid buildup in the lungs or legs.

This differs from a myocardial infarction, which is a heart attack caused by a blocked artery that damages heart muscle but isn’t defined by reduced pumping ability itself. Angina is chest pain from temporary ischemia (insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle) rather than a chronic failure to meet systemic blood flow. Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaques in arteries; it can contribute to heart problems but isn’t, by itself, the description of the heart failing to pump enough blood.