Congestive Heart Failure Case Study

When you think of congestive heart failure what comes to mind? Many may think there heart has stopped working or is on the verge to. However, that is not the case. Congestive heart failure, or CHF, is the condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. This inability to pump blood appropriately can affect one or both sides of the heart. The weakened heart can cause many complications like edema, shortness of breath, weakness, arrhythmias, and it can cause blood and fluid to back up in the lungs. The heart is a very important organ and treatment should be done as soon as possible. This is where the core measures, which are implemented in the hospital, come in place. Core measures are standardized procedures that are designed to improve patient care. It covers a broad range from implementing steps to be taken when a patient comes in the hospital to teaching a family and their young child how to manage a new diagnosis. These measure are meant to prevent further complications and have the patient reduce his/her stay in the facility. Overall, these core measures help the hospitals improve the quality of care by focusing on the results of care. …show more content…
The measures that are to be taken are use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) for left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD), left ventricle function (LVF) assessment, smoking cessation counseling, and discharge instructions. The one I personally found most important was the discharge teaching. I thought this measure was the one that could help the patient identify worsening symptoms and know when to return. Also, with the discharge instruction it gives an opportunity to involve the family. The more informed the patient has on his/her diagnosis the better the