Introduction
Heart failure occurs when heart cannot pump enough blood to body demand. This can be chronic or acute.The heart failure could begin on the left or right side of the heart, or both sides may fail at the same time. If heart muscle is too weak, the ventricles can stretch out and fail to work efficiently. These are a few different types of heart failure.
Left-sided heart failure:
This is the most common type of heart failure. Patient presents short of breath
due to backed-up fluid in the lungs.
There are two types of left-sided heart
failure. Systolic heart failure, This pumping
problem prevents the left ventricle from proper pumping and is most often
associated with acute heart failure. & Diastolic heart failure,This is caused
by a blood-filling problem in the left ventricle.
Presentation
Signs & symptoms
- Edema
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness & fatigue
- Irregular or fast heartbeat
- Coughing and wheezing
- Spitting up pink phlegm
- Decreased ability to concentrate
- Chest pain (Mayoclinicorg, 2015)
Causes
Disease or a birth defect, Acute MI, Mitral regurgitation, arrhythmia, aortic dissections,valve destruction (endocarditis), myocarditis, Poor diet and lack of exercise, high blood pressure, diabetes, faulty heart valves,coronary artery disease, inherited heart defects, and a damaged or
inflamed heart, infections,allergic
reactios,viruses
that damage the heart, cardiopulmonary
bypass surgery. (Healthlinecom, 2015)
Diagnosis
Chest X-ray
Blood tests
Stress test
Electrocardiogram
Echocardiogram
Angiogram
CT scan & MRI
Management
·
Angiotensin-converting enzyme
(ACE) inhibitors. ACE inhibitors are a type of vasodilator, a drug
that widens blood vessels to lower blood pressure, improve blood flow and
decrease the workload on the heart. Examples include enalapril (Vasotec),
lisinopril (Zestril) and captopril (Capoten).
·
Angiotensin II receptor blockers. Losartan
(Cozaar) and valsartan (Diovan), have many of the same benefits as ACE
inhibitors. They may be an alternative for people who can't tolerate ACE
inhibitors.
·
Beta blockers. This class of drugs not only slows heart
rate and reduces blood pressure but also limits or reverses some of the damage
to heart if patient have systolic heart failure. Examples include carvedilol (Coreg),
metoprolol (Lopressor) and bisoprolol (Zebeta).
·
Diuretics. such as furosemide (Lasix)
·
Aldosterone antagonists. These drugs include spironolactone
(Aldactone) and eplerenone (Inspra). These are potassium-sparing diuretics,
which also have additional properties that may help people with severe systolic
heart failure live longer.
·
Inotropes. These are
intravenous medications used in people with severe heart failure in the
hospital to improve heart pumping function and maintain blood pressure.
·
Digoxin (Lanoxin)
·
Calcium
channel blockers may improve exercise tolerance via their vasodilatory
properties, and nondihydropyridine calcium channel blockers are also used for
ventricular rate control in patients with atrial fibrillation.
·
Amlodipine has antianginal properties and is
also indicated in hypertension.
Surgery options
·
Coronary bypass surgery.
·
Heart valve repair or replacement
·
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs)
·
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), or
biventricular pacing
·
Heart pumps & heart transplant
References
References
Medscapecom. 2015. Medscapecom. [Online]. [22 April 2015]. Available from:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/163062-treatment
Healthlinecom. 2015. Healthline. [Online]. [22 April 2015]. Available from: http://www.healthline.com/health/acute-heart-failure
Mayoclinicorg. 2015. Mayoclinicorg. [Online]. [7 May 2015]. Available from:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-failure/basics/symptoms/con-20029801
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