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Congestive Heart Failure and MODS
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The condition that I researched is Congestive Heart Failure. Most people think that is when the heart completely stops working; however, that is not the case. Congestive Heart Failure is when the heart's amount of power used for pumping is weaker than normal. Blood travels through the body and heart at a slower rate, and the pressure in the heart greatly increases. Since there is so much pressure the heart cant pump enough oxygen and nutrients to fulfill the body's needs. Usually the chambers of the heart react to this by stretching to hold more blood to pump through the body or they become stiff and thickened. This helps keep blood moving for the time being; although, eventually the walls of the heart will weaken and not be able to pump blood as easily. The kidneys react to this by retaining salt and fluid. If fluid gets built up in any organs of the …show more content…
According to Tortora some of them include: coronary artery disease, myocardial infarctions, long-term high blood pressure, congenital defects, heart attacks, and conditions that overwork the heart. (Tortora, 2014, pg.724) Signs and symptoms greatly vary from person to person. They may remain constant or come and go. Some of the symptoms include congested lungs and fluid/water retention. Some people also may experience dizziness, fatigue, and weakness due to less blood flowing to their major organs. Another sign is a rapid or irregular heartbeat. People may experience all of these signs at once or maybe just one at a time. (Heart Failure Symptoms, 1998) Congestive heart failure is diagnosed through a series of questions asked by your doctor and through a physical exam. If there is any indication that you may have heart failure then more tests will be done to determine the cause and severity. Some of these tests include: blood tests, chest x-rays, echo-cardiograms, cardiac catheterization, and stress tests. (Congestive Heart Failure, WebMd,
The aim of this report is to provide an overview of chronic heart failure, examining signs symptoms and treatment related to the case study, and the anatomy and physiology of the heart will be discussed, and the pathophysiology of chronic heart failure.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and the estimated cost of treatment is $32 billion yearly. Approximately 5 million people living in the United States suffer from congestive heart failure (CHF) and half of those diagnosed will die within 5 years. An individual may present to the hospital with weakness, short of breath (SOB), swelling of the extremities, ascites, and breathing difficulties while lying down. The quality and length of life for someone suffering from heart failure can be improved with early diagnosis, medication, physical activity, and diet modification (CDC, 2013).
This systematic review conducted by Takeda A, Taylor SJC, Taylor RS, Khan F, Krum H, Underwood M, (2012) sourced twenty-five trials, and the overall number of people of the collective trials included was 5,942. Interventions were classified and assessed using the following headings.-
Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) 95 (2007): Management of Chronic Heart Failure (Online). Available at: http://www.sign.ac.uk/pdf/sign95.pdf (Accessed 8th June 2010)
Assess lungs and heart sounds and inspect for evidence of early heart failure, e.g. tachycardia, dyspnea. pulmonary congestion,
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 failure, and they are Coronary artery disease, Heart attack, Cardiomyopathy, and conditions that overwork the heart.
According to the European Society of Cardiology Guidelines [ESC] (2012) heart failure is diagnosed by symptoms such as dyspnoea, fatigue, either at rest or during exertion.
Congestive heart failure is a chronic state, often referred to as heart failure. Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle does not pump blood as well as it should. There are various complications with congestive heart failure. For example, narrowing arteries in the heart, known as coronary artery disease or high blood pressure, repeatedly leave the heart too weak or stiff to fill and pump successfully. Sadly, not all situations that lead to heart failure are reversible, but treatments are implemented to improve the symptoms of heart failure and provide a longer lifestyle. Day-to-day lifestyle changes such as exercising, reducing salt, managing stress, and losing weight can improve the quality of life. Additionally, a patient taking a combination
The factors presented indicate that the 57-year-old woman is affected by myocardial ischemia. Myocardial ischemia takes place when blood flow to the heart is reduced, preventing it from accepting sufficient oxygen. The diagnostic tests expected for this condition are: electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, nuclear scan, coronary angiography, cardiac CT scan, and a stress test.
The holter monitor records the patients hearts electrical activities, the patients usually record times of the day they experience symptoms in a journal. Another test used for diagnosis is an electrophysiology study, and EPS, this test includes passing a wire through a vein in the patients arm or thigh up to the heart. The wire records the electrical signals in the heart. An echocardiogram is used as well; this is an ultrasound or the heart. Finally, a stress test, which is when an EKG is preformed while the patient is on a treadmill and increasing intervals are set to watch how the heart reacts to physical
Heart failure is defined as the heart’s inability to pump as well as it should be able to. When the heart does not pump the appropriate amount of oxygen and nutrients, “the body’s needs cannot be met”. There are two different types of heart failure- systolic heart failure and diastolic heart failure; both use an EF, ejection fraction, to diagnose them. “Systolic dysfunction occurs when the heart muscle does not contract with enough force, so there is less oxygen-rich blood that is pumped throughout the body.” “Diastolic heart failure occurs when the heart contracts normally, but the ventricles do not relax properly or are stiff, allowing less blood to enter the heart during normal filling” (“Congestive Heart,” 2014). Multiple diseases and day to day actions attribute to heart failure such as, cardiomyopathy, heart attack, conditions that put huge amounts of stress on the heart, and coronary disease, commonly known as CAD.Multiple diseases and day to day actions attribute to heart failure such as, cardiomyopathy, heart attack, conditions that put huge amounts of stress on the heart, and coronary disease, commonly known as CAD.
These causes will change the heart significantly. The pathophysiology of heart failure is described differently as: (1) an oedematous disorder, by means of which the deviations in renal hemodynamics and excretory ability lead to salt and water holding; (2) a hemodynamic disorder, considered by peripheral vasoconstriction and decreased cardiac output; (3) a neurohormonal disorder, mainly by stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and adrenergic nervous system; (4) an inflammatory syndrome, related with amplified local and circulation pro-inflammatory cytokines; (5) a myocardial disease, started with an damage to the heart trailed by pathological ventricular transformation. In heart failure, the heart sustains either a sudden or longstanding structural injury. When damage occurs, sequences of firstly compensatory but consequently maladaptive mechanisms follow (Henry & Abraham, ).
Heart failure is a chronic and progressive disease where the heart muscles fail to properly pump the necessary amount of blood through the body (American Heart Association). According the Center of Disease and Control (CDC), 5.7 million adults are suffering from heart failure and 1:9 cases result in death. Though, heart failure is general term and encompasses three types of heart failure. The different types of heart failure are left-sided heart failure, right-side heart failure, and congestive heart failure and each has distinctive features that define them. Left side heart failure is described as the heart’s failure to pump blood to the body. Right side heart failure occurs when there is an increased build up in fluid as blood is being returned
Some immediate symptoms include chest pains and discomfort, heaviness, tightness, pressure, aching, burning, numbness, or a squeezing feeling in the heart. These symptoms usually occur a few weeks prior to a heart attack. Other severe and long term effects/symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, arrhythmia, which is a problem with the rate and rhythm of the heartbeat, heart failure, heart attack and in some cases stroke. As atherosclerosis occurs, it reduces the blood circulation, causing blood clots and in rare cases amputation in the hands or feet. As the fatty deposits clog up the arteries, if an artery in the heart has been blocked off, a heart attack will occur.
Heart failure, many people think that it means the heart is no longer working at all. Besides, they would believed that there’s nothing can be done if they were diagnosis with heart failure. But actually heart failure only means that the heart isn’t pumping as well as it should be. It is a chronic and progressive condition which the heart can’t keep up with its workload. With heart failure, the weakened heart can’t supply the cells with enough blood and so the blood and fluid can back up into the lungs. Fluid then will also build up in the feet, ankles, and legs. Therefore, people with heart failure often experience tireless and shortness of breath. (Nihseniorhealth 2013) Heart failure is a serious condition, and usually there’s no cure. But if patient could