Integrative Heart Failure

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).

“One in nine deaths in 2009 included heart failure as a contributing cause. About half of the people who develop heart failure die within 5 years of diagnosis” (Heart Failure Fact Sheet). “Researchers have proven that African-Americans are at an increased risk of congestive heart failure. This is due to diabetes and high blood pressure, rather than race alone”. “There is no cure for heart failure. Treatments are used to relieve symptoms of CHF and try to prevent any further damage. The exact plan to help the patient depends on the stage and the type of heart failure the patient has”

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

The heart is an organ that pumps oxygenated blood to the body and deoxygenated blood to the lungs. Heart failure is when the heart can’t pump blood very well. If the heart fails to work properly, a major system called the circulatory system won’t work properly and therefore the whole human body will fail to work properly because the cells won’t be able get oxygenated blood and use the oxygen to undergo cellular respiration and make energy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are an estimated 5.1 million adults suffering from heart failure (2013). As the prevalence of heart failure continues to rise, one out of every nine deaths occur as a result of this chronic condition. Studies conducted at Yale found in Medicare age patients with heart failure, there is a median 30-day mortality rate of 11.1% and 5-year rate of approximately 50% (Alspach, 2014). According to Desai & Stevenson (2012), rising costs of care are in direct correlation to the number of hospital admissions related to a primary diagnosis of heart failure especially among adults age 65 years or older. The national rate for readmissions within 30 days is approximately 24.7%, consequently having

Approximately 5.3 million Americans have heart failure and account for more hospital admissions than any other diagnosis in patients over 65

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

Considered a major health problem in the United States, heart failure (HF) is a syndrome involving insufficient pumping and/or filling of the heart (Lewis, Heitkemper, Dirkson, & Bucher, 2014). As HF progresses, the heart cannot continue to meet the oxygen demands of the body’s tissues due to a decreased cardiac output. Acute HF and chronic HF have replaced the term congestive heart failure (CHF) since not all HF patients experience pulmonary congestion, but CHF is still commonly used in the clinical setting (Lewis et al., 2014). Regardless of the terminology, HF typically results in poor outcomes and a high incidence of hospital readmissions.

The American Heart Association (2015) defines heart failure as a progressive condition in which the heart is incapable of pumping a sufficient amount of blood to meet the body’s requirement. Heart failure is caused by a structural or functional disorder cardiac condition that decreases the heart’s ability to eject blood (The American Heart Association, 2015; Alpert, Lavie, Agrawal, Aggarwal, & Kumar, 2014). The causes of heart failure include hypertension, arrhythmias, ischemic heart disease, valve disorders, and metabolic disorders (Nicholson, 2014). In addition, obesity has been positively correlated with heart failure, with up to 86% of obese patients being diagnosed with heart failure (Alpert et al., 2014). Heart failure affects approximately 23 million people worldwide and roughly 5.8 people are affected in the United States (Alpert et al., 2014). It is estimated that roughly 40 to 71% of people affected by heart failure have a normal or close to normal left ventricular ejection fraction (Alpert et al., 2014). The prevalence of heart failure increases with age and it is estimated that 6-10% of people over the age of 65 are affected (Kasper et al., 2015). Heart failure is a progressive disorder that is often initiated by an event that damages the heart muscle (Kasper et al., 2015). As a result, the myocardium is unable to contract as it normally would and the heart’s pumping capacity is deteriorated (Kasper et al., 2015). Although, the heart’s pumping capacity is

Heart failure (HF) is the inability of the heart to pump adequately to meet the metabolic needs of the body (Jeffrey et al, 2007). It is caused by structural or functional abnormalities of the heart (NICE, 2003). The reduced contractility leads to a reduced stroke volume, and therefore the heart rate is increased to help maintain cardiac output. HF can either be chronic where it has been occurring over time or acute, where it happens suddenly.

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)