Analytical Paper Evaluation : Heart Failure Essay

Heart failure may convey that the heart isn’t working anymore, but what it really means is that the heart isn’t pumping as well as it should be (REF). Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood through to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen (REF). At first, the heart tries to make up for this by enlarging, developing more muscle mass, and pumping faster. As this happens, the blood vessels narrow to keep blood pressure up and the body diverts blood away from less important tissues and organs to maintain flow to the heart and brain (REF). Eventually, the body and heart cannot keep up and the patient begins to feel fatigue, breathing problems, weight gain with swelling in the feet, legs, ankles or stomach, and other symptoms that eventually leads to a hospital visit. The body’s coping mechanisms give us better understanding on why many are unaware of their condition until years after the heart declines (REF).

Congestive cardiac failure, also known as heart failure, occurs when the heart is weak and unable to sufficiently supply blood the body needs to function. Heart failure can often be successfully treated with

Situation: Two patients in their 70s present to the office at different times today, each with documented heart failure: one diastolic and the other systolic, and both are hypertensive. First, discuss the difference between systolic and diastolic heart failure, providing appropriate pathophysiology. ACEI/ARBs are the only medications prescribed for CHF that have been found to prolong life and improve the quality of that life. EXPLAIN the mechanism of action of ACEI/ARBs and how they affect morbidity and mortality in CHF. Be specific. Diuretics must be used very carefully in diastolic ventricular dysfunction. EXPLAIN this statement using appropriate physiology. Now considering all of the above, describe an appropriate comprehensive plan of

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).

Heart failure affects nearly 6 million Americans. It is the leading cause of hospitalization in people older than 65. Roughly 550,000 people are diagnosed with heart failure each year (Emory Healthcare, 2014). Heart failure is a pathologic state where the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the demand of the body’s metabolic needs or when the ventricle’s ability to fill is impaired. It is not a disease, but rather a complex clinical syndrome. The symptoms of heart failure come from pulmonary vascular congestion and inadequate perfusion of the systemic circulation. Individuals experience orthopnea,

My interview with Ms. Carol Baker Cross took place on March 21st, 2015 around 7 p.m. Ms. Cross is an RN who works at Piedmont Fayette Hospital. She earned her BSN from Troy University and graduated in 2011.The most common health care condition/problem that Ms. Cross encounters is Congestive Heart Failure and she identified this health care condition because she is an RN on the cardiac floor of the hospital. According to Ms. Cross, Congestive Heart Failure is seen when the heart doesn't have a lot of output. The heart is not strong and because the ventricles do not pump blood in a sufficient volume, fluid buildup can be seen

Congestive Heart Failure, also known as "cardiac decompensation, cardiac insufficiency, and cardiac incompetence," (Basic Nursing 1111) is an imbalance in pump function in which the heart is failing and unable to do its work pumping enough blood to meet the needs of the body's other organs. To some people, heart failure is defined as a sudden and complete stoppage of heart activity—i.e. that the heart just stops beating. This is an inaccuracy. Heart failure usually develops slowly, often over years, as the heart gradually loses its pumping ability and works less efficiently. CHF is a syndrome that affects individuals in different ways and to different degrees. It is usually a chronic disease. It gradually

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is defined as a serious heart condition that prevents the heart from providing adequate blood flow to other parts of the body, causing a buildup of fluids in organs such as the lungs and kidneys (Heart Disease and Congestive Heart Failure). This heart condition affects approximately 670,000 people a year and is one of the leading causes of death for older people (Heart Disease and Congestive Heart Failure). Congestive heart failure, a chronic heart condition, manifests itself by causing fatigue, shortness of breath and edema; consequently, the treatments are basic and there remains no cure.

Congestive Heart Failure is when the heart's pumping power is weaker than normal. It does not mean the heart has stopped working. The blood moves through the heart and body at a slower rate, and pressure in the heart increases. This means; the heart cannot pump enough oxygen and nutrients to meet the body's needs. The chambers of the heart respond by stretching to hold more blood to pump through the body or by becoming more stiff and thickened. This only keeps the blood moving for a short while. The heart muscle walls weaken and are unable to pump as strongly. This makes the kidneys respond by causing the body to retain fluid and sodium. When the body builds up with fluids, it becomes congested. Many conditions can cause heart

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) can develop quickly, but most of the time it develops slowly over time. CHF develops as a result of other things that damage the heart. Common conditions are: untreated high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, heart attack, cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle), myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), endocarditis (infection of the inner lining of the heart

One of the most important aspects of treating a patient with heart failure is providing an ample amount of education and counseling to both the patient and their family. It is essential that the patient understands the importance of participating in their treatment regimen and that it is a lifelong commitment that they must actively be involved with in managing their care (Hinkle & Cheever, 2014, p.800).

Congestive heart failure is an older name for heart failure. Congestive heart failure takes place when the heart is unable to maintain an adequate circulation of blood in the bodily tissues or to pump out the venous blood returned to it by the veins (Merriam-Webster). The heart is split into two distinct pumping structures, the right side of the heart and the left side of the heart. Appropriate cardiac performance involves each ventricle to extract even quantities of blood over intervals. If the volume of blood reimbursed to the heart develops more than both ventricles can manage, the heart can no longer be an efficient pump.

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes too weak to maintain an adequate cardiac output to meet the body’s

During inspection of the heart assessment observe abnormal finding. Inspect the jugular vein and the carotid artery. Note pallor or cyanotic skin color, temperature, turgor, texture, and clubbing of finger. Observe for swelling, edema and ulceration. Clubbing is a sign of chronic hypoxia caused by a lengthy cardiovascular or respiratory. Poor cardiac output and tissue perfusion is noted by cyanosis and pallor. For dark-skinned, inspect his mucous membranes for pallor. Decreases or absent of pulse with cool, pale, and shiny skin, and hair loss to the area, and the patient may have pain in the legs and feet may indicate arterial insufficiency. Ulcerations typically occur in the area around the toes, and the foot usually turns deep red when dependent

As the population ages heart failure is expected to increase exceptionally. About twenty-two percent of men and forty-four percent of women will develop heart failure within six years of having a heart attack. “Thirty years ago patients would have died from their heart attacks!” (Couzens)