Congestive Heart Failure Research Paper

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

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.

Heart failure, HF, is a result of one’s heart inefficiently pumping blood out to the body (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper and Bucher, 2014, p.766). A healthy heart will pump blood out of the left and right ventricles rhythmically and simultaneously, creating an even flow of blood from the heart to the pulmonary arteries and the aorta (Lewis et al., 2014, p.769). Someone with heart failure has a ventricular dysfunction in either one or both ventricles; the ventricles are not filling or contracting properly. The failure of one ventricle to properly function leads to an overcompensation of the opposite ventricle as well as a disruption in normal blood flow that leads

To understand the signs and symptoms of left-sided versus right-sided heart failure, remember that left-sided signs and symptoms are found in the lungs. Left begins with L, as does lung. Any signs and symptoms not related to the lungs are caused by right-sided failure (Williams and Hopper). Some signs and symptoms of heart failure are shortness of breath (dyspnea), fatigue, chronic cough or wheezing, rapid or irregular heartbeat, lack of appetite or nausea, mental confusion or impaired thinking, fluid buildup and swelling, and rapid weight gain, and the need to urinate more at night. In order to determine heart failure the physician will do a diagnostic test which includes a chest x-ray, echocardiogram, ejection fraction (EF), and electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG).

There is no cure or recovery from congestive heart failure, but there are ways to improve your hears condition.

In right sided heart failure, fluid builds up in the veins and tissues, causing swelling of the lower extremities and the abdomen. When body tissues fail to get the oxygen and the nutrients they require, they begin to lose their efficiency, causing increased dizziness and fatigue.

There are two types of heart failure: systolic heart failure and diastolic heart failure. In systolic heart failure, left ventricle have difficulty contracting and ejecting blood into the circulation, which causes reduced left ventricular fraction. On the other hand, diastolic heart failure has a slow and delayed relaxation and chamber rigidity increase, which then causes inadequate filling of blood and slows down the ability to eject blood efficiently. Calcium is not

In this journal article, the author entails the impact of congestive heart failure (CHF) on individuals all around the world, specifically focusing on how can nurses help their patients suffering with CHF and keep it under control. The Purpose of this journal article is to provide nurses with more knowledge related to CHF discussing the cause of CHF, sign and symptoms, lifestyle interventions, such as diet and exercise, in comparison to pharmacological management to prevent or delay the progression of the disease. William & Wilkins (2012) specially highlights the difference between right and left sided CHF. This journal article is conducted to quantify the nurses with tools to help their patients that suffer with congestive heart failure (CHF).

Heart failure is defined as “ the pathophysiologic condition in which the heart is unable to generate an adequate cardiac output such that there is inadequate perfusion of tissues or increased diastolic filling pressure of the left ventricle, or both, so that pulmonary capillary pressures are increased.” Congestive Heart Failure (left heart failure) is categorized as “heart failure with reduced ejection fraction or heart failure with preserved ejection fraction” (McCance & Huethe, 2014, p. 1175). According the American Heart Association, this patient has Stage C Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF) since his left ventricular ejection fraction is 30% (Yancy et al., 2013, p.

Left ventricle failure (LVF) is developed by patients with CHF in which the heart is unable to pump blood effectively and so there is a decreased cardiac output. Out of the four chambers that make up the heart the left ventricle is the strongest and thickest one, as it is the main pumping chamber that supplies the

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

Congestive heart failure occurs when your ventricles can not pump enough blood to the body.

Exertional dyspnoea and fatigue are the most common symptoms. These are caused by a left-to-right shunt, when the connection between the two atria allows blood to pass from the left side of the heart to the right. This occurs because the pressure in the left side of the heart is naturally higher than the right. The extra blood from the left atrium overloads the right atrium and the right ventricle, causing right heart dilation, and subsequent heart failure (5). If left untreated, patients can develop reversal of the ASD, resulting in a right to left shunt; this is known as Eisenmenger’s syndrome. Other complications include atrial tachyarrhythmias or stroke (21, 22).

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a weakness of the heart that has an insufficient circulation of blood throughout the body, which leads to the build-up of fluid in the lungs and edema in the surrounding tissues of the body. “As the intravascular pressure increases along with the amount of extravascular liquid, the lungs become less compliant and less permeable to oxygen, leading to respiratory discomfort (dyspnea), hypoxemia and tachypnea” (Garcia and Wright, 2010). As the condition deteriorates, the capacity of the interstitial space is exceeded, the fluid floods the alveoli and airways resulting in full blown CPE, an acute respiratory distress and a major medical emergency in heart failure patients” (Guyton 1991). There are two types of

There are many causes of heart failure. Among them is a reduction in the contractile ability of the heart due to mechanical problems or any problem that limits the filling capacity of the heart chambers with blood due to any form of cardiomyopathy. Whatever the cause, the patient’s tissues are compromised because they cannot receive an adequate amount of oxygen necessary to perform optimally (Bui, Horwich, & Fonarow, 2010).