Congestive Heart Failure
Description of the Health Issue
Congestive heart failure does not necessarily mean that the heart has stopped functioning, but it does mean that the heart is not pumping blood as effectively as it should be -- and normally is -- pumping the body's life-sustaining substance. This paper delves into the reasons why a person suffers from congestive heart failure, what actually happens to the heart and to the body, and the medical treatment and clinical manifestations appropriate for this condition.
Literature Review of Health Issue
According to the peer-reviewed Texas Heart Institute Journal, congestive heart failure affects "5.7 million individuals," and there are "700,000 new diagnoses" annually (Mosalpuria, 2014). After the first congestive heart failure event, Mosalpuria explains that there are often "multiple relapses" and about half of those suffering from congestive heart failure will be hospitalized within the first year after the event, and within that first year about one-third of patients will die (253).
Mosalpuria goes on the point out that as for the cost of treating patients with congestive heart failure in the United States, there is a substantial "economic burden" placed on the American healthcare system (253). The estimated cost to the healthcare system is $39.2 billion, the author explains, and more Medicare funds are utilized vis-a-vis the diagnosis and the treatment of congestive heart failure than "any other diagnosis" in the healthcare milieu (253).
Meanwhile, as to the process of the human heart and how it works, the normal action of the heart is to pump blood from the right side into the lungs to then become oxygenated. After picking up oxygen from the lungs, the blood flows into the arteries with the life-providing oxygen it has gathered from the lungs. The way it works is that a higher pressure is realized by the arteries and a lower pressure is experienced by the veins when things are working normally. But when there is congestive heart failure, the blood is not moving "…efficiently through the circulatory system" and as a result of that slow-down there is a temporary back-up of blood, and that puts increased pressure within the body's blood vessels (O'Brien, 2014).
When there is that increased pressure on the blood vessels it...
Pregnant or breastfeeding women, older patients and other patients with certain medical problems are advised to first consult their doctors before using the drugs. These medical problems are heart disease, heart rhythm problems, severe lung disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and thyroid disease (Flanigan). Although side effects of digitalis drugs are rare, patients are urged to consult reactions such as skin rash, hives or other troublesome symptoms (May 2006). Signs
One's heart may appear enlarged in heart failure. The X-ray also may reveal whether ther e is any fluid buildup in the person's lungs. X-rays also sometimes show conditions other than heart failure that possibly cause the patient's signs and symptoms (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2009). Electrocardiogram (ECG): Through electrodes attached to the patient's skin, an ECG records the electrical activity of person's heart and records the impulses. These impulses, displayed
Congestive Heart Failure It is a fact that Congestive Heart Failure is an extremely frightening word and an equally frightening concept to comprehend, and when a loved one, or oneself has been diagnosed with this condition, it is quite natural to relapse into a state of depression or panic. However, it is not an untreatable disease, and with the correct and appropriate treatment methods, and with the right physician attending, the
Activity is another important concern for many individuals that have congestive heart failure. Some of them will be resentful of the fact that they are no longer are able to perform many of the activities that they once performed, and others will be so afraid to perform any type of activity at all that they will become sedentary, which can also be dangerous. All individuals, regardless of their medical condition,
The heart is an important muscle in the body: the body depends on the heart muscle to pump oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout the circulatory system. There are four chambers in the heart, which collect the blood from the body and send it back out to the lungs and the other parts of the body. When a heart muscle valve fails, the circulation of the blood is reduced, and this
Congestive Heart Failure TREATMENT and EDUCATION PLAN Cardiomyopathy and Congestive Heart Failure Cardiomyopathy is a diseased condition of the heart muscle wherein it enlarges or becomes rigid or thickens (NHLBI, 2011). It has many causes, signs and symptoms as well as therapies. In extreme but rare cases, the affected heart muscle is replaced with scar tissue (NHLBI). Congestive heart failure or CHF, on the other hand, is a condition wherein the heart becomes
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