Congestive Heart Failure Case Study

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Running head: CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE

Congestive Heart Failure – Case Study

Pathophysiology – BSRN – 420
Instructors: October 10, 2010

Report on Congestive Heart Failure

The heart is a muscle, the most important one in the body. It works like a pump; it receives blood from the body and pumps the blood into the lungs, where it receives oxygen. This oxygen rich blood is then pumped out in to the body system to nourish the body. Congestive heart failure occurs when this pumping action is impaired, and the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. When the heart cannot pump out the blood it receives, excess fluid may back up into the lungs and other body tissues. If the amount of nourishment to the body …show more content…

Preventive measures to decrease the risk of congestive heart failure would be to eat a low salt diet, or adjusting your diet to avoid obesity. Avoid smoking or quit smoking, and start or continue an exercise program. Do not drink alcohol obsessively, drink in moderation. Avoid salty foods, and if you are on a diuretic (water pill), than watch fluid intake and output. Congestive heart failure is a clinical diagnosis. The symptoms presented in a good clinical exam are extremely important. Doctor’s, advanced practice nurses, physician’s assistants, and even nursing personnel can pick up on the diagnosis of congestive heart failure, based on a physical examination and symptoms that a patient describes. The healthcare personnel will check pulses for strength and rate, swollen or distended neck veins, swelling of the liver, fluid retention, wet or fluid sounds in the lung fields and listening to heart tones. To confirm a diagnosis, he/she may perform a number of tests, including a twelve lead electrocardiogram, chest x-ray, blood tests a specific blood test is called a BNP, cardiac stress test, echocardiogram, angiography, and cardiac catheterization if needed. There are many clinical presentations that would lead the healthcare provider to the diagnosis of congestive heart failure without a single test, but to confirm the

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