Findings
What is considered a stable blood pressure?
Classification
Normal = less than 120 and less than 80
Elevated = 120-129 and greater than 80
Hypertension stage 1 = 130-139 and 80-89
Hypertension stage 2 = greater than or equal to 140 and greater than or equal to 90
What is considered a primary cause of heart failure?
Conditions that directly damage the heart such as a heart attack
What are the risk factors to watch out for Heart failure?
- CAD
-HTN
- DM
- Smoking
- Obesity
- High cholesterol
Is a sudden increase in body weight considered an expected finding in patients at risk for heart failure, why or why not?
Yes, patients with progressing heart failure can suddenly gain weight from fluid build and retention because the heart is not properly functioning.
What is considered a precipitating cause of heart failure?
Conditions that increase the workload of the heart such as hypertension
What do I need to educate the patient regarding diet and habits?
- Low sodium diet
- Educate about how canned fruits and veggies are unhealthy due to sodium content
-Limit alcohol
-Smoking Cessation
Which patient is most likely to be experiencing symptoms of heart failure?
- A 10-year-old boy having shortness of breath after baseball practice
- A 50-year-old man having a sudden rapid increase in body weight
- A pregnant woman having swollen ankles with an edema
- A 35-year-old woman with a blood pressure of 130/80
A 50-year-old man having a rapid increase in body weight
A sudden increase in body weight could likely indicate fluid retention and build up
Left ventricular dysfunction results in which form of heart failure?
Left-sided heart failure
Blood backs up into left atrium and pulmonary veins
Why do patients with decreased cardiac output need to be on bedrest?
Because increased activity requires the heart to work harder and have an increased oxygen demand
What is considered a normal ejection fraction?
Normal EF = 55-65%
What is the amount of blood that flows from the heart's left ventricle per minute called?
Cardiac output
What are nursing interventions when giving your patients diuretics?
- Measure urine output
- Weigh patient daily
- Assess patients edema
Which form of heart failure has jugular venous distention as a symptom?
Right Sided Heart Failure (Cor Pulmonale)
An ejection fraction of 15% is consistent with the diagnosis of which type of heart failure?
Systolic
With systolic heart failure, the ejection fraction is usually less than 50%.
During the daily weighs, your patient went from 81.5 kg to 82 kg. How many lbs have they gained since yesterday?
They gained 1.1 lb
82 kg - 81.5 kb = 0.5 kg
0.5 kg (2.2) = 1.1 lb