CHF Flashcards
What is CHF?
A fluid overload condition (congestion) associated with heart failure. HF is a clinical syndrome resulting from structural or functional cardiac disorders that impair the ability of a ventricle to fill or eject blood
Or
It is when the myocardium can’t pump effectively enough to meet the body’s metabolic needs
What are the major types of HF?
- Systolic HF
2. Diastolic HF
What is systolic HF and what is Diastolic HF?
Systolic heart failure: inability of the heart to pump sufficiently because of an alteration in the ability of the heart to contract
Diastolic heart failure: the inability of the heart to pump sufficiently because of an alteration in the ability of the heart to fill; term used to describe a type of heart failure
How can you determine the type of HF?
An assessment of the ejection fraction (EF) is performed by echocardiogram to assist in determining the type of HF.
What is an ejection fraction (EF)?
It is the percentage of blood volume in the ventricles at the end of diastole that is ejected during systole; a measurement of contractility
What are the normal ranges for EF?
55%-65%
What are the risk factors?
Coronary artery disease Hypertension Myocardial infarction Diabetes Obstructive sleep apnea Viruses Excessive alcohol intake Congenital heart defect Smoking High-fat, high-cholesterol, and high-sodium diet Obesity Inactivity or poor self-care Age Ethnicity
What are the complications of HF?
Pulmonary edema Organ failure, especially the brain and kidneys Myocardial infarction Cardiomyopathy Cardiac arrhythmias Valvular insufficiency Sudden cardiac death Hypoxia Fluid and electrolyte imbalance Malnutrition Embolism leading to tissue ischemia/infarction
Which sided of the heart does it affect first?
Left side
Most patients develop CHF due to what type of disease?
Coronary artery disease
Describe physiological changes in a CHF patient
The patient’s heart cannot pump blood efficiently to the body so the blood is backing up into the lungs
This causes pulmonary edema. The patient’s pulmonary edema is so severe that the patient’s is struggling to breathe and to oxygenate appropriately. Patient’s O2 stats are low.
Patient’s heart is trying to work extra hard to compensate for the low cardiac output, that’s why the blood pressure and HR is so elevated.
The kidneys are not being perfused as the urine output has decreased
What does a low ejection fraction mean?
A low ejection fraction (or low EF) is typically 45 or less and can be evidence of heart failure or cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle). The heart’s ejection fraction (EF) refers to the amount – or percentage – of blood pumped (or ejected) out of the heart’s left ventricle with each contraction.
What does a high ejection fraction mean?
If your ejection fraction is higher than 75%, it could be a sign of a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It causes the walls of your heart to beat harder. They become thick and stiff, and your heart doesn’t take in or pump out as much blood as usual.
