Heart Failure Is A Syndrome That Involves Dysfunction Of The Cardiac Muscle

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).

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

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. Basically, the heart can 't keep up with its workload. American Heart Association Statistics (2016) reveals that heart failure accounts for 36% of cardiovascular disease deaths. Projections report a 46% increase in the prevalence of Heart Failure (HF) by 2030 by affecting over 8 million people above 18 years with the disease. Healthy People 2020 goals are focused on attaining high quality longer lives free of preventable diseases, promotion of quality of life, healthy development and healthy behaviors across all stages of life (Healthy People 2020, 2015).

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,

Heart failure (HF) is defined as a multifaceted clinical syndrome that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the ventricle to fill with or eject blood. In HF, the heart may not provide tissues with adequate blood for metabolic needs, and cardiac-related elevation of pulmonary or systemic venous pressures may result in organ congestion1. In the United States, HF is increasing in incidence with about 5.1 million people suffering from HF and half of people who develop HF die within 5years 2. Over 75% of existing and new cases occurred in individuals over 65 years of age, < 1% in individuals below 60 years, nearly 10% in those over 80 years of age. HF costs the

Nearly everyone knows something about heart disease. From high blood pressure & cholesterol to bypass surgery to heart attacks, heart disease is top-of-mind for most older adults and their loved ones. However, one lesser-known area of heart disease is congestive heart failure.

Some key observations that we found throughout these clinical reports are that patients are offered numerous treatment options when diagnosed with heart failure. However, these treatment options are often restricted due to comorbid disorders/diseased the patients

“According to the American Heart Association (AHA) affects nearly 5.7 million Americans and is responsible for more hospitalizations than all forms of cancer combined. It is the number 1 cause of hospitalization for Medicare patients. With improved survival of patients with acute myocardial infarction and with a population that continues to age, heart failure will continue to increase in prominence as a major health problem in the United States” (Dimitru, 2015,p. Epidemiology). I chose to report on this condition because my grandmother had lived with this condition undiagnosed for many years. I feel that early diagnosis and treatment will lead to better outcomes. With the increasing number of cases each year it is important for the family nurse practitioner to diagnose and treat this chronic condition.

Heart failure is a major cause of morbidity and mortality affecting all Western countries and represents a significant economic, social and healthcare burden.(1) Approximately 1-2% of the population of the developed world has been diagnosed with clinically significant heart failure, a gross underestimation. (2) Depending on how the condition is defined, recent population studies estimate that between 3% and 9% of the adult population are affected by overt symptoms of heart failure.(3) An additional and similar proportion of individuals surveyed exhibit a pre-clinical “silent” left ventricular dysfunction. (3) The incidence of which rises sharply among persons 70 years of age and older.(4) In the United States, estimates place

Symptoms of heart failure are divided into two parts which are left and right sided of the heart. Heart failure may happen due to the “pooling” of fluid in the lungs, abdominal area, legs or feet; it can also be caused by decreased blood flow to the body. The left-sided failure of the heart causes blood to back up or be congested to the lungs, causing respiratory symptoms such as: shortness of breath all the time especially during the night while sleeping, frequent dry cough and many more. Left side failure also gives fatigue which is due to insufficient supple of oxygenated blood. Whereas, right-sided failure is often caused by pulmonary heart disease, which usually caused by the difficulties of pulmonary circulation. This side of failure

Heart failure is a chronic and progressive disease process that involves weakening of the heart. A weak heart cannot adequately pump oxygenated blood to the body’s tissues. The reduction of the oxygenated blood to the body triggers mechanisms in the body to compensate for decreased blood flow. First, the baroreceptors within the heart detect decreased blood flow which signals the sympathetic nervous system. This triggers a release of epinephrine and norepinephrine causes an increase in heart rate as well as vasconstriction. The renal system responds by releasing renin which activates the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system which causes sodium and water retention to increase blood volume. Unfortunately, this is a vicious cycle that intends to help the heart but ultimately weakens it causing hypertrophy of heart muscle and various symptoms. Since this disease cannot be cured, the treatment involves delaying the progression of disease and treating the symptoms. Heart failure is the most common reason for hospitalization in those over 65 due to exacerbations and progression of the condition. (Hinkle & Cheever, 2014)

The heart, like most organs, are not given much consideration until they cause us discomfort or begin to fail. Heart failure gives millions of people from the young to the old a reason to become aware of their hearts. It is a chronic disease that worsens over time limiting the heart’s ability to pump blood through the body and has several forms and manifestations to include cardiomyopathies and adjacent arterial system. These forms have both genetic and non genetic causes. Research of the genetic components, the DNA sequences, protein markers, general pathophysiology of heart failure can predict a person's health outcome, help design drug treatments that are better utilized in the body, as well as physical rehabilitation routines tailored

Heart Failure (HF) is prevalent disorder that affected 6.6 million people in the United Sates during 2010 (Patarroyo-Aponte & Colvin-Adams, 2014). In HF the heart lacks the ability to push oxygenated blood throughout the cardiovascular system. This disorder prevents vital organs from getting the oxygen needed in order to perform their duties as well. The disorder must be managed and maintained since HF is a disorder that not only affects the heart but respiratory system, endocrine system, digestive system and all other system (Chiarugi, Colantonio, Emmanouilidou, Martinelli, Moroni, & Salvetti, 2010). Heart failure is a serious disorder is which expected to increase by 25% by the year 2030. To coincide with the people diagnosed with

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)