Heart Failure Flashcards
What is heart failure
Clinical syndrome in which the heart is unable to maintain adequate circulation of the blood to meet the metabolic needs of the body
Left-sided heart failure
- AKA CHF
- characterized by pulmonary congestion. edema, low cardiac output
- due to backup of blood from LV to LA and lungs
What causes left sided heart failure
- occurs with insult to LV from myocardial disease, excessive workload of the heart, cardiac arrhythmia, of heart damage
Right sided heart failure
- characterized by increased pressure load on the RV with higher pulmonary vascular pressure, mitral valve disease, chronic lung disease (cor pulmonale)
Right sided heart failure hallmark sign
jugular vein distention and peripheral edema
Biventricular failure
- severe LV pathology producing back up into the lungs
- increased PA pressure and RV signs of HF
Associated symptoms of heart failure
- muscle wasting
- myopathies
- osteoporosis
Compensated heart failure
- heart returns to functional status with reduced cardiac output and exercise tolerance
physiological compensatory mechanisms that can result in compensated heart failure
- SNS stimulation
- LV hypertrophy
- Anaerobic metabolism
- Cardiac dilation
- arterial vasoconstriction
- or medication
More characteristics of decompensated heart failure
- sudden or gradual onset
- can include sxs of right or left sided heart failure
- requires immediate medical attention
Decompensated heart failure
- structural or functional change in heart leads to its inability to eject and/or accommodate blood within normal physiological levels
Signs and symptoms of pulmonary congestion 2/2 left ventricular failure
- dyspnea, dry cough
- orthopnea
- paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
- pulmonary rales, wheezing
Signs and symptoms of pulmonary congestion 2/2 right ventricular failure
- dependent edema
- weight gain
- ascites
- liver engorgement
s/s of low CO 2/2 left ventricular failure
- tachycardia
- lightheadedness/ dizziness
- cerebral hypoxia: irritability, restlessness, confusion, impaired memory, sleep disturbances
- fatigue, weakness
- poor exercise tolerance
- enlarged heart on xray
- S3 heart sound, maybe S4
- murmurs of mitral or tricuspid regurgitation
s/s of low CO 2/2 RV failure
- anorexia, nausea, bloating
- cyanosis
- right upper quadrant pain
- jugular vein distension
- right sided S3 heart sounds
- murmurs of pulmonary or tricuspid insufficiency
