Heart Failure I - Pathophysiology

Question 1

The readmission rate for heart failure is __________.

Answer 1

20% in 30 days and 50% in 6 months

Question 2

Mortality of heart failure is __________.

Answer 2

50% in five years

Question 3

Define heart failure.

Answer 3

Heart failure is the inability of the heart to pump blood forward at a sufficient rate to meet the metabolic demands of the body (forward failure) or the ability to do so only if the cardiac filling pressures are abnormally high (backward failure).

Question 4

Inotropy is __________.

Answer 4

the ability of the heart to contract more from the same starting end-diastolic volume

Question 5

There are roughly ___________ cases of heart failure in the United States.

Answer 5

six million

Question 6

In a Frank-Starling plot, increased inotropy is shown by ____________.

Answer 6

a steeper slope between the original plot and the new plot

Question 7

Diastolic heart failure will display a ________ heart.

Answer 7

hypertrophied

Question 8

Systolic heart failure will display a ________ heart.

Answer 8

dilated

Question 9

HFrEF is ____________.

Answer 9

systolic heart failure

Question 10

Systolic heart failure is characterized by ___________.

Answer 10

decreased inotropy

Question 11

What is DCM?

Answer 11

Dilated cardiomyopathy

Question 12

Systolic heart failure is caused by ____________.

Answer 12

damage to the heart (such as from an MI, viral endocarditis, or alcohol), an overstressed heart (persistent tachycardia), or from volume overload (due to mitral regurgitation or high cardiac output)

Question 13

Hypertrophic (diastolic) heart failure results from ___________.

Answer 13

increased resistance (high afterload, aortic stenosis, or dialysis) or increased external pressure (such as pericarditis)

Question 14

PV loops for diastolic heart failure will show __________, while those for systolic heart failure will show __________.

Answer 14

lowed EDPs and decreased SVs; similar (or even higher) EDPs and decreased SVs

Question 15

Normal pulmonary pressures are _________.

Answer 15

22/10 mmHg

Question 16

What is it called when lung disease causes right-sided heart failure?

Answer 16

Cor pulmonale

Question 17

Right-sided heart failure can be caused by _____________.

Answer 17

lung disease, left-sided heart failure, interseptal defects, tricuspid regurgitation, or damage to myocytes on the right side

Question 18

Why is there fluid retention in CHF?

Answer 18

Because the stroke volume is impaired (due to damage, increased afterload, or aortic stenosis) and the body sends signals to retain more fluid; the body is trying to increase preload, but the problem persists because in CHF the preload response cannot overcome the decreased SV.