Introduction to Heart Failure

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Heart failure is only one of the many entities that encompass heart disease. According to National Institute of Health 5.7 million people in the United States suffered from some form of heart failure in 2009 and of these 670,000 were first events. Heart failure is not a single disease entity but "a complex clinical syndrome that can result from any cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the ventricle to either fill properly or eject optimally. This syndrome results in a pathologic state in which the heart is unable to pump enough oxygenated blood to meet the metabolic needs of the body." The inability of the ventricle to eject properly is systolic heart failure and the inability of the ventricle to fill properly is diastolic heart failure. These are two completely different entities and will be reviewed separately. The text addresses an introduction into this topic touching on the basics of defining heart failure, addressing the two types of heart failure, going over the diagnostic tests for heart failure, addressing the classes of medications in depth to treat heart failure, and identifying the precipitating causes of heart failure.
About the Author: Carol Alvin spent all of her time in her 31 1/2 years at the bedside where she had a passion for patient care but also a passion for teaching the nurses and residents that worked alongside of her. Carol Alvin received her diploma in nursing from Bethesda Hospital Nursing School in 1979 and went on to obtain her BSN at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH in the mid 1980's. She spent the majority of her career at UC Health in Cincinnati with a focus on critical care including developing expertise in the surgical intensive care and coronary care, cardiovascular intensive care units and the post anesthesia care unit. She participated in the transition of the Coronary Care Unit to a Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit which required intensive education. Carol was sent to the Cleveland Clinic for in-depth clinical experience with left ventricular devices (LVAD'S) and Heart Transplants and came back to Cincinnati, OH to be one of the 6 people to cross train the rest of the staff. Carol received her Critical Care Certification (CCRN) in 1982 which she held throughout her bedside nursing career for a total of 30 years; and also received her Cardiac Medicine Certification (CMC) in 2010. Carol has spent time teaching in-services to the PACU staff on neuro issues when she was a staff member in that unit. Carol presented in-services to the Critical Care Intern Program attendees. She was also an ACLS instructor. Carol also was a recipient of the University Hospital Hero Award in 2009.