Pathophysiology: Congestive Heart Failure

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”

Working on a cardiac unit for seven years has given me the opportunity to become familiar with congestive heart failure. This is a complicated condition that is sometimes difficult to manage. Your first questions is an excellent question, one that is extremely important when caring for these individuals with congestive heart failure. Without complete understanding of congestion heart failure, patients are frequently readmitted due to poor medical management. Caring for these individuals usually focus on treatments including the delicate balance of intake and output, medications and diagnostic testing. Your question regarding how CHF has impacted a person’s life focuses on the psychological aspect of this condition. Although

Mr. Javier Escobar, U.S Army Veteran, 50-year-old Latino male and divorced claiming to “not having anyone in his life due to Combat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”. Mr. Escobar is a newly patient diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Patient claims to smoke 1 pack of cigarettes a day, also the consumption of 1 bottle (750mls) per night of alcohol. Congestive Heart Failure is due to Chronic high blood pressure that puts great stress on the heart muscle. The muscle of the heart weakens and fails to push the normal amount of blood around the body leading to Congestive Heart Failure. There are multiple symptoms that could by identified before heart failure such as anxiety, restlessness, cyanotic (blue

Congestive heart failure is a chronic condition that is responsible for the highest number of hospitalizations among adults. Readmission rates after hospitalization also remain high, with 50% of patients being readmitted within 6 months of discharge. (Desai & Stevenson, 2012). The Affordable Care Act penalizes hospitals with readmissions within 30 days after discharge, making readmissions a focus of hospitals nationwide. Several factors including discharge planning, patient education, diet restrictions, and early follow up appointments can help to reduce readmissions, but continuous monitoring is necessary to catch early signs of decompensation. (Desai & Stevenson, 2012).

To conclude, congestive heart failure is a serious disease that happens when the heart is unable to work efficiently. Despite the fact that there is no cure for this disease, treatment are available if the disease is diagnosed early. Also, the symptoms can be controlled properly for many years. If the disease continues to progress without medication through the four main stages, the function of the heart will be severely affected to the point where life is no longer

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).

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a foremost health problem worldwide, touching 4.8 million U.S. patients and accounts for 978,000 or 5-10% of all hospitalizations. Some estimates show 550,000 new cases of CHF diagnosed each year in the United States alone. Currently, CHF accounts for 20% of all discharges in the over age 65 categories; with the aging demographic, this statistic is expected to increase significantly. Overall, the cost of treating CHF is very high -$38 billion annually in the U.S., representing 5.4% of total health care costs and involves many physician visits - at least 11 million ambulatory visits per year. The mortality rate for CHF is high, with one in five persons dying within 1 year, more than half of the CHF patients

Approximately 2-3 million Americans, more than one percent of the population, are currently affected by this medical problem with numbers increasing frequently (Drug Store News, 1997). Congestive heart failure tends to be more common in the elderly, men, and also African Americans. Congestive heart failure has become the most common cause for current hospital admissions. Among causing prolonged hospital stays congestive heart failure has a very high mortality rate, which has declined since recent medical advancements.

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a chronic dysfunction of the heart’s ability to effectively pump blood throughout the body. Left-sided heart failure is the most common and there are two main types: systolic and diastolic. In simple terms, diastolic heart failure occurs when the left ventricle still pumps effectively, but doesn’t move as much blood as it should due to a filling problem. Systolic heart failure, on the other hand, occurs when the left ventricle does not pump as forcefully as it should, and therefore less blood makes it into circulation per contraction. Researchers and physicians alike are moving away from the classifications of systolic and diastolic as problems with one can produce abnormalities with the other. Instead, they are moving to classifying heart failure as having normal or impaired left ventricular ejection fraction. Impaired ejection fraction (<40%) would be

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 5.7 million People in America have heart failure.

After reviewing medical journals related to my topic, I discovered that many physicians and nurses think that congestive heart failure is

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize a comprehensive review of the evidence based relevant factors to the morbidity and mortality associated with increasing risk factors of heart failure-HF as well as the pathophysiology of the heart and diseases associated with physiological and social behavior risks in the process of cardiovascular disease- CVD’s, by discussing the implications of the age, gender, and progression of the disease associated with major comorbidities, and possible intervention approaches to preventing and promoting healthy life. By decreasing risk factors and enhancing understanding to promote positive outcomes.