Ventricular Assist Device

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,

When nursing any patient with heart failure it is important to have an understanding of how the heart should work to understand how it stops working correctly. This knowledge is important as writtler (2006) (cited in Jones) feels that district nurses have little knowledge when it comes to heart failure. Patient, Writler (2006) feels that by understanding how the heart works and how it is damaged we, as district nurses will be able to recognise the signs of heart failure earlier7a?.

Heart failure (HF) is a debilitating condition that has become a public health problem. There are many debilitating effects of HF for many people that have to live with this disease. According to Hardin and Hussey (2003), recognize inadequate patient education, poor symptom control, and insufficient social support as factors that contribute to preventable HF related hospitalizations (p.p.74). Many people are frequently hospitalized because of HF exacerbation related to lack of knowledge, poor quality of life and medication non adherence. This research proposal determines the effect of Advance Practice Nurse led telephone intervention in the community and how their phone calls would improve the outcomes of patients with Heart Failure. This proposal identifies variables and measurement levels, research methodology and conclusion. The results of the research studies will support the idea that Advanced practice nurses has a positive impact on patients with HF, decreasing HF related hospital admissions and improving their quality of life.

The author of this document attempts to explain what is a ventricular assist device, its basic function, the reasons for use, possible complications and nursing care aimed to prevent this. Also, the impact that current technology has in the management of Heart Failure, and prolongation of life quality and expectancy while waiting for heart transplant. Furthermore, it reviews the incorporation of essential elements of safe nursing care to current nursing standards of care when caring for patients with ventricular assist device. Also, this document analyses and complete three evidence-base practice articles in nursing care with QSEN guidelines. Lastly, this documents review the safety concerns that are related to the technology when it

It is important to follow instructions from your health care provider about caring for your ventricular assist device (VAD) at home (destination therapy). You will continue to work with a health care provider who specializes in VADs (VAD coordinator) and a heart specialist (cardiologist).

According to the American Heart Association (2015), heart failure is defined as “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”. Congestive heart failure is a progressive illness that effects millions of Americans every year. Many other illnesses can lead to the development of congestive heart failure. Examples of these diseases include: coronary artery disease, past heart attack, high blood pressure, abnormal heart valve, heart muscle disease such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy or inflammation such as myocarditis, congenital heart disease, severe lung disease, diabetes, obesity and asthma. (American Heart Association, 2015 (Centers for

established the clinical problem that heart failure is associated with high morbidity and poor prognosis (Hobbs, et al., 2007). She further added that it decreases patients’ quality of life as it places a heavy burden on them, as well as their families, as well as the huge negative impact on health care resources (Iqbal, et al, 2010), contributing to lost productivity from unplanned hospital admissions. The authors presented the research problem strongly, stating that there is a limited study of the role of specialized heart failure nurses in the multidisciplinary team in managing heart failure patients, thus warranting a further investigation to be conducted. Special nurses, as defined by Glogowska et al, are experienced senior nurses who are involved in providing medical, psychological and emotional support that begins at the initial diagnosis of heart failure and continues onward. They provide transitional care in assisting patients manage their heart failure. The research article focus on the experiences and perceptions of clinicians in managing heart failure patients, and it aims to understand the special role of specialized heart failure nurses in the interdisciplinary team. The authors designed to answer the following questions when conducting this study:

Review the article, “A qualitative study of the psychological experience of patients during and after mechanical cardiac support” from the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. Using the worksheet provided, complete a critique of the qualitative research. Each question was worth 1.5 points with a total point value of 240 points. As with every assignment we are to utilize spelling and grammar check to minimize errors, and it should be in APA formatting and citation.

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

The authors of this article explore the importance of and latest advances in transitions of care programs for patients with Heart Failure (HF). The authors paint a clear picture about the scope of the problem and go on to discuss some of the most well-known and researched transitions of care interventions in current practice. Although many of these interventions have been successful, the authors report fact that programs vary in organizational framework, team composition, and program focus. Programs are also noted to differ based on population size and care

Therapeutic measures for a patient with congestive heart failure would be daily weights, dietary sodium restrictions, positioning in high or semi-Fowler’s position, frequent vital signs, oxygen by cannula or mask, medical devices: pacemakers, internal cardiac defibrillator, biventricular cardiac pacemaker, ventricular assist device, medications: digoxin, diuretics, inotropes, nesiritide, beta blockers, surgery: heart valve repair or replacement, coronary

The body may not get the oxygen it needs.” Having any of the following diagnoses places a patient at risk for developing congestive heart failure; coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, or a previous myocardial infarction (American Heart Association [AHA], 2015). To reduce readmissions to hospitals associated with heart failure, current research is focusing on implementation of transition of care interventions. Albert et al. (2015) states, “transition of care refers to individual interventions and programs that are designed to improve transitions from one setting to the next (p. 1). Transition of care interventions include; early admission assessments, medication reconciliations, patient education, identification of caregivers, telephone follow-ups, home visits, handoff to post-hospitals providers, and early follow-ups (Albert et al., 2015, p. 4).

Crozer Keystone now offers patients Insertable Cardiac Monitors (ICM). The insertable cardiac monitor is a small device, smaller than a key, that constantly monitors your heart rhythms and records them automatically as well as manually by using a hand held patient assistant. It is programmed to monitor the heart’s activity in the form of an electrocardiogram (ECG) also, abnormal heart rhythms. An insertable cardiac monitor is the gold standard for determining causes of infrequent, unexplained fainting.

Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVADs) has evolved into long-term use as bridge to transplant and as destination therapy for those with severe end-stage heart failure. However, treatment and readmission rates of Heart Failure (HF) and LVAD patients is a serious matter to hospitals because the reduce reimbursement rates that hospitals receiving if these patients are re-admitted within 30 days of their discharge date. Studies have shown that Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) use of evidence base practice for the care of these patients can reduce the readmission rates of this specific population. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project is to investigate if an APN-directed interdisciplinary team to intervene follow-up care in LVAD

In phase of Stetler Model, retrieval of evidence was obtained from CINAHL, Cochrane, and PubMed research databases using search times: CHF, telehealth, tele-monitoring, hospital reimbursement, right-sided heart failure, and re-admissions. Search was conducted by using the terms “congestive heart failure, telemedicine, telephone monitoring, nursing, hospitalization, and readmission.” Search criteria were restricted to articles published in the last ten years, with full text, and in English only. While searching for evidence, 20 articles dating from years 2000 to 2015 were reviewed and five articles were selected for the study. Among the five articles chosen, results yielded both qualitative and quantitative data, for which conclusions were identified.