Heart failure is a life-threatening serious disease that can lead to impaired cardiac contractile function, significantly reduced cardiac output, decreased tissue perfusion, increased pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, tissue congestion, and may present symptoms in a short period of time or continue to develop into chronic heart failure. Among the elderly population aged 65 and above, acute heart failure is one of the most common acute conditions, manifested as pulmonary edema caused by acute left heart failure, which may lead to serious consequences. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the causes of heart failure may include qi deficiency, imbalance of yin and yang, and insufficient yang energy. With the deepening of China's aging population, the incidence rate of cardiovascular diseases also shows a rapid growth trend, especially acute left heart failure, which poses a great challenge for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
So what are the symptoms of acute heart failure? Patients often have sudden dyspnea, or paroxysmal dyspnea at night, unable to lie down, need to stand up for breathing, emotional anxiety, frequent coughing, spit out a large amount of white or blood stained foam like sputum, pale face, blue lips, sweating, wet limbs, palpitations, shortness of breath, more obvious when moving, swollen chest, choking up at night, swollen legs, blue lips and other symptoms. What causes acute heart failure? The common causes of heart failure include coronary heart disease, myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, various types of myocarditis, heart valve disease, hypertension, aortic valve insufficiency, congenital cardiovascular disease, etc. The common causes of heart failure include infections such as respiratory tract infections, lung infections, infective endocarditis, as well as arrhythmia, excessive fluid replacement speed, excessive physical labor, or emotional excitement.
Usually, patients with acute heart failure should be sent to the intensive care unit, where their emergency measures include: 1. immediately keeping the patient sitting or semi sitting, keeping their legs relaxed, or using hemostatic tape to fix their limbs, and rotating relaxation every 15 minutes to reduce venous return and alleviate symptoms of pulmonary edema. In order to effectively correct hypoxemia, immediate and effective measures should be taken to reduce the surface tension of alveoli and prevent their rupture. Specifically, a 40% to 70% alcohol humidification bottle, a 1% silicone solution, or a dimethyl silicone oil defoaming aerosol can be used to improve lung ventilation function and achieve the goal of improving hypoxemia. Generally speaking, nasal cannula can be used as an effective means of oxygen supplementation. However, when patients are in a severe state of hypoxia, more proactive measures need to be taken, such as wearing a high concentration, high-dose mask (5L/min), to ensure better oxygen supply. Quickly initiate venous access to ensure effective drug delivery and collect blood samples, including electrolytes, renal function, etc. Quickly send blood gas samples. Regularly conduct electrocardiograms and blood pressure checks to detect and treat potential severe heart disease early. Drug therapy is an effective method, which includes diuretics, calcitonin, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, and calcium channel blockers. To ensure health, it is recommended to have a light and easily digestible diet, and to eat more protein rich foods; It is recommended to avoid consuming spicy, tobacco, and other stimulating foods as much as possible to maintain health; It is crucial to maintain good health by consuming sufficient water. 7. Prevention of complications: Prevent the occurrence of complications such as pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hemorrhage, stroke, etc. 8. Regular check ups: closely monitor changes in the patient's condition and promptly revise the treatment plan.
For patients with acute left heart failure, in the nursing process after discharge, attention should be paid to the intake of vitamin C in the diet, such as fresh vegetables, fruits, etc. This can improve the elasticity and toughness of blood vessels and help improve local blood circulation. To maintain health, it is recommended to avoid consuming spicy and stimulating foods, as well as smoking and drinking alcohol. 2. Daily care (1) Actively controlling blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar, and other primary symptoms of acute left heart failure are mostly derived from these diseases, and active control can help with disease recovery. Medical advice should be followed and medication should not be stopped or changed without authorization to avoid adverse reactions and drug poisoning. If new conditions arise, seek medical attention promptly to avoid life-threatening situations. In addition, attention should also be paid to rest and exercise, ensuring sufficient sleep to enhance the body's immunity. When providing psychological care, special attention should be paid to the contraindications of using certain medications. For example, for patients with systolic blood pressure below 90 mmHg, or those with obvious mitral or aortic stenosis, vasodilators and digitalis drugs should be avoided, and medication dosage should be controlled to prevent poisoning. In order to prevent acute heart failure, primary heart disease should be actively treated, and the causes of diseases such as colds and lung infections should be avoided. At the same time, moderate activity should be carried out, and vigorous exercise and emotional excitement such as anger and arguments should be avoided. In addition, it is necessary to maintain smooth bowel movements and avoid straining to defecate.
In summary, acute heart failure is a common type of heart disease, characterized by symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, and fatigue, which require immediate and effective rescue and treatment.