Clinical Management of Heart Failure Flashcards
What is required for an effective cardiac cycle?
Adequate myocardial contractility
Effective Blood supply
Effective conduction system
Effective valve function
What is heart failure?
Complex clinical syndrome where the heart in unable to maintain adequate circulation of blood resulting in structural/functional abnormalities to the heart and reduced cardiac output. This must be with symptomatic effects for the patient most commonly dyspnea, odema, paraoxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, fatigue.
What are some key signs of heart failure?
Elevated jugular venous pressure
Pulmonary crackles
Peripheral oedema.
What are the key features of the pathophysiology of congestive heart failure?
Heart structural and functional abnormalites - cardiac dilation and hypertrophy - ineffective cardiac output
1) systemic and pulmonary venous congestion as unable to drain into heart
2) kidenys activate RAAS - worsens heart strain by increasing pre-load and afterload via salt and water retention increase.
Cause ADH secretion from the brain.
3) Increased sympathetic nervous systemic activity - cause increased HR and attempt to increase contractility - failed, worsends heart work load.
Neuro-hormonal responses only worsend heart failure by increasing demand on heart, can lead to further structural and functional abnormalities.
What is the epidemiology behind CHF?
More common in men
Average age of diagnosis is 78 years
Around 200,000 new cases a year
What is the prognosis like when diagnosed with CHF?
40% of patients die within 1 year
10% every year after
(this is lower 1yr survival than breast, uterus and prostate cancer)
Patients often have a poor quality of life - 40% suffer from depression.
What are some irreversible causes of heart failure symptoms?
Ischaemic heart disease - weakned areas of ischemic damage
Hypertensive heart disease - left ventricle hypertrophy
Lung disease - pulmonary hypertension - right ventricular hypertrophy
Congential heart disease - structural and functional impairment from birth
Genetic cardiomyopathies - Dilated or hypertrophic
What are some potentially reversible causes of heart failure symptoms?
Infection - tackle infection without damagin heart tissue - e,g anti-virals
Pregnancy - due to increased blood volume and physiological stress.
Valvular heat disease - replace valve - aortic stenosis
What are the reversible causes of heart failure symptoms?
Arrhythmias - reduce CO and increased risk of caridomyopathy
Cardiotoxins - e.g alcohol
Thyroid disease /anaemia - cardiac stress through tachycardia and attempt to increase SV.
What some of the different types of heart failure?
Reduced ejection fraction - HFrEF
Preserved ejection fraction - HFpEF
mid range ejection fraction - HFmrEF
systolic v diastolic dysfunction
Left v right
Cor pulmonale
Low output v high output
Valvular
Arrhytmic
What are some potential differential diagnosis for CHF?
Characterised by volume overload or dyspnoea
Volule overload - liver disease, acute renal failure, nephrotic syndrome.
Dyspnoea - PE, COPD, chest infection (pneumonia), pulmonary fibrosis,
What investigations should be ordered when a patient presents with suspected heart failure as a differential diagnosis?
NT pro-BNP test
Chest x-ray (fluid in lungs and cardiomyopathy)
Complete spirometry
Orders U&Es, FBCs, LFTs and TFT
Complete ECG.
Echocardiogram.
What are some typical signs of heart failure?
Elevated jugular venous pressure
Hepatojugular reflux
Third heart sound (gallop rhythm)**
Laterally displaced apical impulse.
What are some typical symptoms of heart failure?
Breathlessness
Orthopnoea
Paroxsymal nocturnal dyspnoea
Reduced exercise tolerance
Fatigue, tiredness, increased time to recover after exercise
Ankle swelling
What are some less common symptons of heart failure?
Nocturnal cough
Wheezing
Blaoted feeling
Loss of appetite
Confusion
Depression
Palpitations
Dizziness
Syncope
Bendopnea
What are some less specific signs of heart failure?
Weight gain
Weight loss
Tissue wasting
Cardiac murmur
Peripheral odema
Pulmonary crepitations
Reduced air entry and dullness to percussion at lung bases (pleural effusion)
Tachycardia
Irregular pulse
Tachypnoea
Hepatomegaly
Ascites
Oliguria
Narrow pulse pressure.