Research Assessment #1

Date: September 15, 2017

Subject: Cardiac Surgery

MLA or APA Citation: A Guide to Congestive Heart Failure, www.acls.net/guide-to-

congestive-heart-failure.htm.<https://www.acls.net/guide-to-congestive-heart-
failure.htm>

Analysis:

The heart is a vital component of our body. It keeps our body alive and
breathing. However, if it gets inflicted by damage, the entire boy’s chance at living
reduces. There are various disorders that cause a heart to stop functioning but all would
lead to some drastic effect on the entire body. Thus, I decided to investigate a common
heart disorder that drastically impacts our vital organ: the heart. I chose to research
Congestive Heart Failure because it’s common cardiovascular disorder that affects
many individuals.
Congestive heart failure is the inability of the left side of the heart to pump an
adequate amount of blood due to different factors. Because of this condition, the heart is
weak and unable to pump all of its blood forward and some of it backs up to the lungs.
This results in the lungs becoming congested with blood and fluid. This congestion
makes the patient, feel short of breath. The more you exert yourself, the more oxygen
the body requires and the less able the heart is to supply it. This is mainly the reason
people may have a poor tolerance for activity if the CHF is not well controlled. Some of
the signs and symptoms associated with this disorder are: feeling tired more often with
less exercise, experiencing shortness of breath with less exertion, unexplained weight
gain, cough without the presence of a cold or sinus infection, along with traces of blood
in the saliva. All of these signs and symptoms greatly damage not only the heart’s
function in pumping blood, but also, damage the various organs that don’t get
sufficient blood needed to nourish cells.
Due to the severity of Congestive Heart Failure, treatment is essential to ensure
reduction of signs and symptoms and progression of a healthy heart. There are various
treatments designed to cure or limit Congestive Heart Failure, however majority of
treatment options available for this heart disorder are medications. Some of the various
treatment options are: Anticoagulants, Antiplatelet Agents, ACE Inhibitors, Beta
Blockers, Statins, Digitalis Preparations, Diuretics , Vasodilators. Anticoagulants
prevent clots from happening. Antiplatelet Agents are medications also help with
preventing blood clotting by inhibiting platelets that play an important role in forming
them. ACE Inhibitors decrease the work that the heart has to do in order to pump blood
around the body by dilating (widening) the blood vessels and decreasing the resistance
that the heart has to pump against. They also help keep blood pressure under control.
Beta Blockers slow the heart rate and decrease the strength of contraction to allow your
heart to pump using less energy. Statins are used to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
Digitalis Preparations are used to keep the heart rhythm regular with patients who have
a problem with atrial fibrillation along with congestive heart failure. Diuretics cause the
body to excrete excess water, which prevents the heart from becoming overloaded and
backing up into the lungs and causing symptoms of congestive heart failure,
particularly shortness of breath. Lastly, Vasodilators are given to reduce the amount of
oxygen needed by the heart muscle and to dilate the coronary arteries to increase the
amount of oxygen available to the heart muscle. These medications are designed to not
only to work with the body, but to also work with each other to maximize the heart’s
ability to pump blood. All of these mediations/treatments are designed to ensure the
reduction and prevention of Congestive Heart Failure.
Furthermore, to keep Congestive Heart Failure from developing, there are many
measures one can do to ensure that doesn’t happen. Regular visits to physician or
cardiologist keeps track of Congestive Heart Failure progression and ensures gradual
prevention of it. Changing the diet keeps weight at minimal and maintains Congestive
Heart Failure. Exercising regularly will be tough to overcome due to the symptoms of
the disorder, but it’s definitely a good option towards prevention. Avoiding fluid
overload is important because the more fluid the heart is unable to pump forwards, the
more symptoms will appear in the long run. Avoiding excessive salt intake is
recommended because if you have a lot of salt in your body, you will retain fluid, thus,
it’s important to avoid foods with high salt content and to refrain from salting foods.
Lastly, the best option is too just maintain a healthy body because that enables a person
to learn about current diseases and it also enables the individual to ensure they will not
get any disorder or disease. Overall, Congestive Heart Failure is a crucial disorder, but
it can mainly be prevented through doctors visits and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
In conclusion, I learned about a very severe heart disorder that not only
drastically impacts the vital heart, but also the entire body. I learned about the intense
signs and symptoms of an individual with this disorder. Furthermore, I learned about
the medication treatments and the ways to ensure an individual can prevent this
disorder but also not obtain another drastic disorder. This information is essentially
relevant to me because I learned about a a disorder concerning the career I’m going
into, thus I obtained more knowledge about various diseases of the heart. A Cardiac
Surgeon should continuously learn, thus, due to this, I think I gained a better
understanding of what kinds of aspects they have to learn and investigate in order to
ensure the best treatment. This is important in my ISM experience and topic learning
because it enables me to get a better insight on the type of learning Cardiac
Surgeons(general surgeons) constantly research. I actually found this entire study very
interesting because it consists of a heart disorder that can affect the overall functioning
of the body. Overall, all of this knowledge will help me in my ISM experience because it
provides in depth information on diseases of the medical field and particularly on the
aspects Cardiac Surgeons have to constantly learn about.
A Guide to Congestive Heart Failure
Jul 27, 2017

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) can be a scary and confusing

diagnosis. Congestive heart failure has a number of causes including
heart attacks, infections, cardiac arrhythmias, high blood pressure
and even genetics. Once you are diagnosed with congestive heart
failure it is important to alter your lifestyle to limit the impact that the
disease has on your health. You may be stuck with congestive heart
failure, but it doesn’t have to define your life.

Let’s start at the beginning.

What is Congestive Heart Failure?

The heart is a pump. Its job is to pump old non oxygenated blood from the body to the lungs so it
can be oxygenated and then be pumped out so that each and every cell can be supplied. Commented [1]: Function of heart is to pump
deoxgenated blood out and oxygenate it so that it can
Congestive heart failure is the inability of the left side of the heart to pump an adequate amount of be supplied to rest of body.
blood due to different factors. Because of this condition, the heart is weak and unable to pump all of
its blood forward and some of it backs up to the lungs. This results in the lungs becoming congested
with blood and fluid. Thus the name, “congestive” heart failure. This congestion makes the patient, Commented [2]: Definition of Congestive heart failure:
inability of the left side of the heart to pump an
feel short of breath. The more you exert yourself, the more oxygen the body requires and the less adequate amount of blood due to different factors
able the heart is to supply it. This is mainly the reason people may have a poor tolerance for activity -effect
--weak heart
if the CHF is not well controlled. --lungs become congested with blood and fluid
Commented [3]: _Marked as resolved_
Heart failure, if left untreated, can cause damage to other important organs. Each and every tissue in
Commented [4]: _Re-opened_
your body requires a supply of oxygen and nutrients to do well. Your kidneys, your liver, your
Commented [5]: If untreated, entire body will get
abdominal organs, and even your lungs must be supplied constantly with an adequate supply of damaged
--severe damage to individual
oxygenated blood. If your heart is unable to deliver that oxygen rich blood those vital organs will
begin to fail over time.

Additional Resources:

● An Overview of Heart Failure - Mayo Clinic

● Different Types of Heart Failure and Their Causes
 ● Overview of Heart Failure

Signs and Symptoms

Some of the signs and symptoms of heart failure may be easy to miss or to blame on other simpler
issues. They include:

● Feeling tired more often and with less exercise

● Experiencing shortness of breath with less and less exertion
● Unexplained weight gain – especially the appearance of being bloated, this is called "edema"
● Cough without the presence of a cold or sinus infection, along with traces of blood in the
saliva Commented [6]: Typically, the signs and symptoms
associated with congestive heart failure leads to severe
Resources to help you recognize the signs and symptoms of heart disease: signs and symptoms due to extreme shortness of
breath it can inflict upon an individual
● Recognizing Congestive Heart Failure
Commented [7]: _Marked as resolved_
● Signs and Symptoms of CHF Commented [8]: _Re-opened_
● Signs, Symptoms and Causes of CHF in Children

What Treatments are Available for

Congestive Heart Failure?
Most treatment options for congestive heart failure involve the use of various medications. A
physician will work closely with you to find the perfect combination of medications that will help your
heart work better and help with the demands of the body. Managing CHF requires a delicate balance
between taking the work load off the heart and supplying enough oxygen and nutrients to the organs
of the body. There are a couple of things you can do to make that job just a bit easier for your heart.
We will discuss those a little later in the article.

There are invasive treatments for advanced congestive heart failure including heart transplantation
and even the implantation of a pump that helps the heart push the blood along, but they are beyond
the scope of this article. Let’s concentrate on some of the more common treatment options.

You may be prescribed a combination of the following medications to help with your heart failure.

● Anticoagulants - (commonly known as blood thinners) – they don’t actually “thin” the blood,
but they prevent clots from happening. If your heart is not beating in an organized and strong
manner, sometimes blood can remain in small pockets of the atrium and form blood clots.
This increases your risk of stroke or blood clots in the lungs if they were to dislodge and
 travel there. If you are on a blood thinner you will most likely require regular blood tests to
check your levels. You should be careful not to injure yourself and pay attention to symptoms
that may indicate internal bleeding such as dark stools.
● Antiplatelet Agents – (Plavix) these medications also help with preventing blood clotting by
inhibiting platelets that play an important role in forming them.
● ACE Inhibitors – Decrease the work that the heart has to do in order to pump blood around
the body. They do this by dilating (widening) the blood vessels and decreasing the resistance
that the heart has to pump against. They also help keep blood pressure under control.
● Beta Blockers – used to take the “workload” off of the heart. They slow your heart rate and
decrease the strength of contraction to allow your heart to pump using less energy. These
are used to control hypertension as well.
● Calcium Channel Blockers – used to decrease the work load of the heart. They are also used
to control arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms). The most common in congestive heart failure
is atrial fibrillation.
● Statins – used to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. They have also been shown to help
raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels and lower triglycerides. All patients with any type of heart
disease are generally prescribed a statin due to the fact that one of the forms of plaque
formation is a direct cause of lipid acids.
● Digitalis Preparations – used to keep the heart rhythm regular with patients who have a
problem with atrial fibrillation along with congestive heart failure. They are also used in
advanced stages of the disease. Special care must be taken with the use of these
medications due to its adverse effects.
● Diuretics – cause the body to excrete excess water. This prevents the heart from becoming
overloaded and backing up into the lungs and causing symptoms of congestive heart failure,
particularly shortness of breath. In addition, they prevent the build up of fluid and subsequent
edema in the body such as the legs and ankles.
● Vasodilators (Nitroglycerin) – is given to reduce the amount of oxygen needed by the heart
muscle and to dilate the coronary arteries to increase the amount of oxygen available to the
heart muscle. This medication is particularly used to treat the pain of angina.
For more information regarding medications used to treat congestive heart failure:

● Heart Failure Treatment Guidelines

● Medicines for Congestive Heart Failure
● How Is Heart Failure Treated?
Since you will be taking multiple medications at multiple times during the day it is essential that you
develop a system that works for you. Perhaps purchasing a pill box that you can fill once a week and
use each day may help. It is imperative that you be 100% compliant with your medication regimen.
Each medication is designed to not only to work with your body, but to also work with each other to
maximize your heart’s ability to pump blood. It can be dangerous to take your medications at the Commented [9]: Other potentials uses/connections in
the body or to other medications
wrong times or in wrong dosages.

Keeping your Heart Failure from

Progressing
There are some relatively straight forward recommendations that may help keep your congestive
heart failure at bay. The first we have already dealt with: 100% compliance with medication.

● Regular visits with both your PCP and your Cardiologist. Congestive heart failure must be
monitored closely and any changes treated promptly. You should weigh yourself at least
weekly and any 3lb or more weight gain should be reported to your physician. It may be the
result of your body retaining fluid.
● Dietary Changes – If you are even slightly overweight, weight loss is imperative to prevent
further damage to your heart muscle. The larger your body, the harder your already
damaged heart has to work in order to supply much needed oxygen and nutrients. Even
moderate weight loss can have a large impact on your congestive heart failure management.
● Exercise – can be a challenge because of the symptoms of congestive heart failure.
However, any increase in activity is of utmost importance. Simple things like parking far away
from the store instead of looking for the closest space. Walking is a great low impact
exercise for patients with congestive heart failure. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, or you
don’t have a safe, level place to walk, try the local shopping mall. Many malls open early and
even place distance markers to be used by people who utilize the mall for exercise. It’s a
great way to meet people, have some fun and stay healthy too! Just be careful not overdo it.
You always have to consult your doctor before you start exercising and more so when have
CHF.
● Avoid Fluid Overload – restricting fluid intake is important. Do remember, that the more fluid
the heart is unable to pump forward, the more symptoms that will appear in the long run due
to the amount of workload imposed. It only stands to reason that a decrease in fluid intake
can reduce the amount of work the heart has to deal with.
● Salt Intake – where there is salt there is water. If you have a lot of salt in your body, you will
retain fluid. It is important to avoid foods with high salt content and to refrain from salting
foods.
● Smoking – Must be avoided at all cost. The smoke in cigarette carries a lot of carbon
monoxide, this molecule worsens the ability of oxygen to be carried properly to the different
tissues
● Stay healthy – it takes a lot of energy for your body to fight off everyday illnesses like the flu
virus. Be sure to stay current on flu and pneumonia vaccinations. A respiratory disease may
cause decompensation of your heart failure, so it's not a good idea to take the risk. Commented [10]: Some ways to prevent or to reduce
congestive heart failure from increasing are:
-staying healthy
-taking care of body well through exercise and good
habits
-regular visits with physician
Commented [11]: _Marked as resolved_
Commented [12]: _Re-opened_