A Short Note On Advanced Heart Failure

Heart Failure is a progressive heart disease when the muscle of the heart is weakened so that it cannot pump blood as it should; the blood backs up into the blood vessels around the lungs and the other parts of the body (NHS Choice, 2015). In heart failure, the heart is not able to maintain a normal range cardiac output to meet the metabolic needs of the body (Kemp and Conte, 2012). Heart failure is a major worldwide public health problem, it is the end stage of heart disease and it could lead to high mortality. At present, heart failure is usually associated with old age, given the dramatic increase in the population of older people (ACCF/AHA, 2013). In the USA, there are about 5.7 million adults who have heart failure, about half of the people die within 5 years of diagnosis, and it costs the nation an estimated $30.7 billion each year (ACCF/AHA, 2013).

Although these interventions may improve immediate survival in the short term, only coronary artery revascularization and cardiac transplantation have been shown to improve long-term survival.” (DeMarco & Chatterjee, 1993)

Among the indications for Ventricular Assist Device the presence of decompensated or life-threatening end-stage cardiac disease, for patients with severe circulatory compromise, and when hypo-perfusion, cardiogenic shock, failure to wean off cardiopulmonary bypass after surgery. Also, as destination therapy for patients that are not good candidates for a heart transplant; or inability to wean off from cardiopulmonary bypass after surgery.

In addition, it decreases the workload of the heart. Thus, the function that the heart is unable to do efficiently is done with the assistance of an IABP. This balloon pump entered through my patient’s right groin and ends up sitting in the aorta. It inflates during diastole and deflates during systole, which works to provide proper blood flow via filling and perfusion. In addition, the patient had a temporary permanent pacemaker. However, it was removed later in the day. He was in NSR with occasional PVCs. Since he was my only patient, and a 1:1 acuity, he was definitely my most clinically difficult patient. At one point, the patient had a bradycardic/hypotensive episode accompanied by nausea and vomiting. We administered Compazine to help, which it did. Since the patient was required to remain on bedrest, he was experiencing lower back pain. We made sure to reposition frequently. At one point, he requested Tylenol. Some more treatment the patient required include Lasix to help diurese the

Heart failure, HF, is a result of one’s heart inefficiently pumping blood out to the body (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper and Bucher, 2014, p.766). A healthy heart will pump blood out of the left and right ventricles rhythmically and simultaneously, creating an even flow of blood from the heart to the pulmonary arteries and the aorta (Lewis et al., 2014, p.769). Someone with heart failure has a ventricular dysfunction in either one or both ventricles; the ventricles are not filling or contracting properly. The failure of one ventricle to properly function leads to an overcompensation of the opposite ventricle as well as a disruption in normal blood flow that leads

There are two types of artificial hearts, the first being a pump that is connected to the patient’s circulatory system; it maintains life when the patient’s heart is stopped for the surgeons to be able to operate on the heart. The second type is a self-contained mechanical heart that sits completely in the patient’s chest cavity. This second type of heart is known as a “VAD” pump which pumps blood from the left ventricle to the aorta. Most mechanical hearts use a centrifugal pump, which is quieter, uses less energy and lasts longer than the piston type mechanical hearts. The centrifugal pump produces a constant flow of blood around the body; therefore the patient will not have a

The stem cells were engineered from typical skin cells. This technique means that heart patients would not have to worry about rejection. Their new hearts would be made of their own cells.

Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction (LVSD, but commonly referred to as heart failure) is a chronic, progressive cardiac syndrome in which a damaged heart fails to beat efficiently and deliver enough blood to meet the body's needs. Although coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common cause, for example, myocardial infarction, and many of the conditions are intertwined, there are several other causes of heart failure including cardiomyopathies, hypertension and valve disease.

Research by the American Heart Association (2014) states that heart failure effects an estimated 5.1 million Americans and it is predicted to increase 25% by 2030. Heart failure is a pathophysiological condition that indicates the heart is unable to promote enough cardiac output causing insufficient blood supply to the body. Pharmacological treatment for cardiac failure is dependent upon the ability to decrease rate of blood flow and blood pressure. Survival after heart failure diagnosis has improved with medication but the death rate remains high with over half of the people diagnosed with heart failure will die within 5 years. (Go et al., 2014)

Left ventricle failure (LVF) is developed by patients with CHF in which the heart is unable to pump blood effectively and so there is a decreased cardiac output. Out of the four chambers that make up the heart the left ventricle is the strongest and thickest one, as it is the main pumping chamber that supplies the

There are two main types of heart failure: left-sided and right-sided. In left-sided or left ventricular (LV) heart failure3, the heart fails to properly pump blood out to the body. Right-sided or right ventricular (RV) heart failure is usually triggered by LV heart failure and it’s when blood accumulates in the lungs increasing fluid pressure, damaging the heart’s right side. LV heart failure can be further classified into two types, systolic and diastolic heart failure, depending on the ejection fraction (EF). In

Chronic heart failure (CHF), a potentially fatal stage of any cardiovascular disease not only demonstrates a steady growth in the general population, but also the significant economic costs of the health system in improving the clinical status of patients, improving their quality of life, reduce the risk of adverse clinical outcomes (Mosterd A., Hoes AW 2007 McMurry JJ, 2010). The European Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of CHF, determines the CHF, as the "pathophysiologic syndrome, in which the result of a disease of the cardiovascular system is reduced pumping function, which leads to an imbalance between the hemodynamic needs of the body and the heart needs" [16].

“In the United States alone, 5.8 million Americans have been diagnosed with heart failure” (Mancini & Colombo, 2015, p. 2542). Heart failure is a condition where the heart does not pump as efficiently; therefore, it does not meet the needs of the body. There is a growing number of heart failure patients each year. “More than 300,000 deaths per year are attributed to heart failure, and the annual cost to manage these patients is close to $40 billion” (Mancini & Colombo, 2015, p. 2542). Since the heart failure population is steadily growing in size the progress of therapies and management is continuing to evolve. The greatest improvements have been surgery related. The two major surgical approaches involve heart transplants or receiving a ventricular assist device (Mancini & Colombo, 2015). There are much discussion in regardless to receiving a heart transplant versus a ventricular assist device, destination therapy, as well as future advances in ventricular assist devices.

You may be eligible for heart transplant surgery if you have severe heart disease that does not respond to other treatments. If you are otherwise healthy enough for surgery, you will be placed on the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network’s waiting list. This national

Not only will xenotransplantation cure diseases, but will also serve as a source of organs and tissues for transplant. Worldwide, very few human organs are available for transplantation, which results in ailing patients waiting in vain for a suitable donor. According to UNOS, a non-profit that manages the nation’s organ transplant system, more than 118,804 Americans are waiting for an organ transplant as of January 2017 (“Data”). The increasing imbalance between the supply and demand for organs, therefore opens the door to xenotransplantation as a solution. Xenografts could serve as an unlimited supply of cells, tissues, and organs (Kleaner). Furthermore, xenotransplantation can also be used to buy time while potential transplant patients wait for a suitable donor. Dr. Michler, surgeon-in-Chief at Montefiore Medical Center, views xenotransplants as “a bridge, buying time of months until [an organ] is found” (Tanne). According to Medscape, a web resource for physicians, “most patients perceive xenotransplantation as an acceptable bridge to transplantation of human organs in life-threatening situations” (Samdani). Bridge transplants can ease the current shortage of organs until researchers find a more permanent solution. It provides patients in dire situations an opportunity to keep holding on to life. Xenotransplantation has proven advantageous in numerous disciplines of medicine.