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Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure

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Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure
Nicole Martin
North Island College

Congestive Heart Failure
Left heat failure, also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is an imbalance in pump function in which the heart is failing and unable to do its work pumping enough blood to meet the needs of the body’s other organs. CHF is commonly thought of as a disease but in fact is a syndrome. A syndrome as defined by Mosby’s Dictionary, as “a complex of signs and symptoms resulting from a common cause or appearing in combination, to present a clinical picture of a disease or inherited abnormality” (Mosby, 2009). Heart failure usually develops slowly, often over years, as the heart gradually loses its pumping ability and works less efficiently. CHF affects individuals in different ways and to different degrees. It is usually a chronic disease and gradually becomes worse over time. Many people are not even aware of their condition until symptoms appear years after the heart began its decline. There are many causes, risk factors, and signs & symptoms that help determine if someone is at risk of developing CHF or already living with CHF. Nearly 500,000 Canadians are currently living with the condition, with 50,000 new cases diagnosed each year. With such high numbers of people diagnosed with CHF, I believe as a future nurse it will be beneficial to have a greater understanding as to how CHF develops, how it is treated, and how it is management.
Etiology
The etiology of CHF can vary significantly from person to person. As heart function is a measure of preload, contractility, and after load the etiology of CHF include causative agents that effect one or more of these three variables. These agents include coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, myocarditis or endocarditis, heart valve disorders, arrhythmias, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary

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