Essay On Congestive Heart Failure

The prevalence of congestive heart failure is on the increase both in the United States and all over the world, and it is the leading cause of hospitalization in the elderly population. Congestive heart failure is a progressive disease generally seen in the elderly, which if not properly managed, can lead to repeated hospital admissions or death. Heart failure means that the heart muscle is weakened. A weakened heart muscle may not be strong enough to pump an adequate amount of blood out of its chambers. To compensate for its diminished pumping capacity, the heart may enlarge. Commonly, the heart's pumping inefficiency causes a buildup of blood in the

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

Nearly 5.1 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with heart failure. Yet so many people don’t have a clue what it is until they have been diagnosed with it. Congestive Heart Failure, or CHF, is a disease that has many symptoms, can be tested and treated, has several causes, and can be avoided.

The heart is basically a pump that has to circulate the blood around the body delivering oxygenated blood to our organs and then returning deoxygenated blood to our lungs. There are four chambers in the heart, two atria and two ventricles. There are four main valves, mitral, aortic, tricuspid and pulmonary7b.

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

Mr. Javier Escobar, U.S Army Veteran, 50-year-old Latino male and divorced claiming to “not having anyone in his life due to Combat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”. Mr. Escobar is a newly patient diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Patient claims to smoke 1 pack of cigarettes a day, also the consumption of 1 bottle (750mls) per night of alcohol. Congestive Heart Failure is due to Chronic high blood pressure that puts great stress on the heart muscle. The muscle of the heart weakens and fails to push the normal amount of blood around the body leading to Congestive Heart Failure. There are multiple symptoms that could by identified before heart failure such as anxiety, restlessness, cyanotic (blue

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

Heart failure is when the heart cannot keep up with the immense demands placed on it by the body, and it starts to compensate causing remodeling of the cardiac cells due to stronger cardiac contractions. The heart chambers expand so they can fill with more blood to pump to the rest of the body, and the heart rate will increase to meet these demands (American Heart Association, 2015). Heart failure is the inability of the heart to fill and pump effectively enough to meet the metabolic demands of the body resulting in pulmonary and venous congestion (Lam et al., 2007). Over time the body can no longer compensate, and the person becomes symptomatic and progresses into worsening heart failure. The pulmonary and venous congestion or “fluid overload” will manifest itself in the form of lower extremity edema, shortness of breath, fatigue and even chest pain, which interferes with quality of life (Colucci, 2015).

Many elderly patients need a good support system to help them get through their medical conditions. Without the support and proper education the elderly are at risk for developing more health related complications. To avoid these problems healthcare providers can provide their patients with resources and assistance. Moreover, when an elderly patient is diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy and Congestive Heart Failure it is vital that the patient knows to be compliant to their plan of care. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the approach to care, recommended treatment plan, patient and family education, and teaching plan towards the elderly patient with cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure.

In cardiomyopathy the heart muscle becomes enlarged, thick or rigid, and in rare cases the muscle tissue can be replaced with scar tissue. As this disease worsens, the heart becomes weaker and unable to pump blood normally through the body and maintain a normal electrical rhythm. This can lead to heart failure or irregular heartbeats. The weakening of the heart also can lead to other problems such as heart valve problems. Cardiomyopathy can be acquired or inherited. It can affect people of all ages. There are various types of cardiomyopathy includes, hypertrophic, dilated, restrictive cardiomyopathy, Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia and unclassified cardiomyopathy. Some people with cardiomyopathy will never have any signs and symptoms. But in some people the signs and symptoms will develop in the early stages of the disease. As cardiomyopathy worsens and the heart weakens, signs and symptoms of heart failure usually occur. The signs and symptoms of cardiomyopathy includes, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, especially with physical exertion, fatigue, swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, abdomen, and veins in the neck. Other signs and symptoms may include dizziness, light-headedness, fainting during physical activity, irregular heartbeats, chest pain, especially after physical exertion or heavy meals, and heart murmurs. The treatment of cardiomyopathy include lifestyle changes, medicines, surgery, implanted devices to correct arrhythmias (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute,

This disease affects the heart by wearing down or weakening the muscles required to pump blood throughout the body. When someone has CHF their heart can no longer beat hard or strong enough to properly get all of the blood out into the circulatory system. This then prevents the kidneys from getting enough blood to properly filter out all of the fluid in the body. The kidneys not getting sufficient blood supply to filter all of the fluid causes fluid to build up in parts

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.

The American Heart Association has labeled 4 classes of severity of symptoms. Class I is virtually asymptomatic. Class II has some mild limitation with physical activity. Class III has significant limitations with physical activity, but is comfortable at rest. Class IV, the most severe, has symptoms even when at rest. They have also developed 4 additional classes for use by physicians. Class A refers to those at high risk for developing CHF, but currently have no signs of CHF. Class B refers to patients with evidence of CHF but minimal symptoms. Class C refers to patients with CHF who are symptomatic, especially with activity. Class D refers to patients with severe CHF. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling and edema, and tachycardia. Physical examination findings can include arrhythmia, heart murmurs, S3, hepatomegaly, displaced apex beat, muscle wasting, and elevated jugular

Heart failure HF is a condition involving the heart muscle that is unable to pump enough blood through the body to meet its oxygen needs. HF is associated with conditions such coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, anemia, infection, thyrotoxicosis, hypothyroidism, dysrhythmias, bacterial endocarditis, pulmonary diseases, Paget’s disease, nutritional deficiencies and hypervolemia. HF main characteristic is ventricular dysfunction, usually left-sided heart failure develops first causing intolerance to exercise, reduction of quality of life and short life expectancy (Lewis, 2014).

“Congestive heart failure affects nearly 6 million Americans” (Congestive). It is a chronic progressive condition in which the heart does not pump enough blood, resulting in less oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and organs within the body. Congestive heart failure also known as CHF, is a disease in which the becomes weaker. CHF can cause failure of other organs of the body eventually leading to death. The heart circulates blood at a lower rate than normal causing heart pressure to increase. It often occurs that patients diagnosed with CHF may develop edema, a buildup of fluid in the tissues (Congestion).