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A Summary Of Heart Failure

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When the heart begins to fail, mechanisms are activated to compensate for the impaired function and maintain the cardiac output. The primary compensatory mechanisms are Frank –Starling mechanism, neuroendocrine responses including activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the renin- angiotensin-aldosterone system, and ventricular hypertrophy. Decreased cardiac output initially stimulates aortic baroreceptors, which in turn stimulate the SNS. SNS stimulation produces both cardiac and vascular responses through the release of norepinephrine. Norepinephrine increases heart rate and contractility by stimulating cardiac beta- receptors. Cardiac output improves as both heart rate and stroke volume increase. Norepinephrine also causes arterial…show more content…
Classifications include systolic verses diastolic failure, and left sided versus right sided failure. Symptoms of this progressive disease usually show up gradually and steadily worsen over a period of time. Common heart failure symptoms include, Shortness of breath after exertion, sometimes at rest and/or while sleeping, swelling of the ankles, feet and abdomen and/or weight gain due to fluid retention, irregular or rapid heart rate, fatigue and weakness, confusion or dizziness, loss of appetite, nausea or…show more content…
Chest pain (angina) is an indicator of a heart attack (myocardial infarction). A heart attack can cause sudden death. My patient has congestive heart failure. He has pleural effusion on his lung also called “water on the lung,” which is an excessive buildup of fluid between your lungs and chest cavity. He also has edema in both legs and feet. The client has shortness of breath while lying and has to sleep with three pillows at night due to his CHF. The pleural effusion on the lungs causes a crackle sound in all four of his lobes. During the stay at the hospital my patient received oxygen treatments once per day. He may possibly get a thoracocentesis or pleural tap in the future. My patient was on an IV drip, Bumetanide, which inhibits reabsorption of chloride and sodium. This medication is used to treat his CHF and edema along with another medication
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