This single critical condition has claimed the lives of 287,000 people each year everywhere from the age of an infant to the age of your current peers to the age of the elderly (Heart Failure Statistics, 2016) . There are about 5.1 million people in the United States alone that suffer from this serious, possibly fatal, condition and die within five years of diagnosis (Heart Failure Fact Sheet, 2015). Not to mention, 1.4 million people under the age of 60 years old have this condition, and as a result, it has cost the nation about $32 billion dollars per year in healthcare, services, medications, and missed days of work (Heart Failure Fact Sheet, 2015). Some may know, this severe condition is known as congestive heart failure, also known as
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Since the heart is not efficiently pumping the blood from the heart to the rest of the body, the blood begins to re-enter the heart through the veins, which causes major complications for the patient. In addition, there are two types of congestive heart failure: systolic heart failure and diastolic heart failure (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). According to UW Medicine, systolic heart failure is caused by the arrhythmic beating of the ventricles, which are the two lower chambers of the heart. Having the condition of systolic heart failure means that the weakened ventricles pump out less than 60 percent of the blood that the ventricle is supposed to hold (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Therefore, the less blood is pumped with each beat of the heart, and with each heartbeat, the body is receiving more and more inadequate amounts of oxygen, which is necessary to function (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). The other type of congestive heart failure is known as diastolic heart failure. Diastolic heart failure occurs when the walls of the ventricles become more tense, stiff, and inflexible than normal (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Consequently, the ventricles cannot contain and maintain the same amount of blood that an average, healthful heart can, so …show more content…
That being said, the diagnosis consists of physical examinations, such as auscultation, pulse readings, edema usually found in the abdomen and legs, and testing the heart rhythms with an EKG (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Another way health providers diagnose a patient with congestive heart failure is by utilizing an echocardiogram (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). By using this tool, the heart can be observed to see if the function is normal, such as to see if the valves are working properly and checking to see if the amount of blood being pumped into each chamber is normal (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Fortunately enough, there are treatments for congestive heart failure (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Heart surgery is one example of a treatment (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Other available treatments are implanting blood-pumping devices, medical therapy, and inserting a pacemaker into the patient (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). On the other hand, these are just treatments, and there are no cures for congestive heart failure (About Heart Failure,
Since the heart is not efficiently pumping the blood from the heart to the rest of the body, the blood begins to re-enter the heart through the veins, which causes major complications for the patient. In addition, there are two types of congestive heart failure: systolic heart failure and diastolic heart failure (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). According to UW Medicine, systolic heart failure is caused by the arrhythmic beating of the ventricles, which are the two lower chambers of the heart. Having the condition of systolic heart failure means that the weakened ventricles pump out less than 60 percent of the blood that the ventricle is supposed to hold (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Therefore, the less blood is pumped with each beat of the heart, and with each heartbeat, the body is receiving more and more inadequate amounts of oxygen, which is necessary to function (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). The other type of congestive heart failure is known as diastolic heart failure. Diastolic heart failure occurs when the walls of the ventricles become more tense, stiff, and inflexible than normal (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Consequently, the ventricles cannot contain and maintain the same amount of blood that an average, healthful heart can, so …show more content…
That being said, the diagnosis consists of physical examinations, such as auscultation, pulse readings, edema usually found in the abdomen and legs, and testing the heart rhythms with an EKG (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Another way health providers diagnose a patient with congestive heart failure is by utilizing an echocardiogram (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). By using this tool, the heart can be observed to see if the function is normal, such as to see if the valves are working properly and checking to see if the amount of blood being pumped into each chamber is normal (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Fortunately enough, there are treatments for congestive heart failure (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Heart surgery is one example of a treatment (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). Other available treatments are implanting blood-pumping devices, medical therapy, and inserting a pacemaker into the patient (Congestive Heart Failure, 2016). On the other hand, these are just treatments, and there are no cures for congestive heart failure (About Heart Failure,