Working in the cardiac area of nursing since before I graduated nursing school, I thought it fitting to choose a topic related to my interests and career. One topic I find interesting and feel I know too little about is Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). The heart’s function is to act as a pump and provide the body with oxygen rich blood. When this pump weakens it is called CHF. There are varying degrees and many different causes of this pump failure. There are no limits as to who can and cannot get CHF. Everyone is at risk. Lifestyle and other health history are major players in who is at risk for developing this condition.
For those of you that work in cardiac, or for those of you that don’t but are still interested, I have compiled a Webliography that will lead you to any information you could possibly need or want related to CHF. I have tried to include links to topics from what causes CHF, risks factors, diagnosis of the condition, treatment options, and prevention. The following links are very reliable and trustworthy. I hope you find this interesting and helpful.
MedicineNet.com: Congestive Heart Failure
http://www.medicinenet.com/congestive_heart_failure/article.htm#2whatcauses
This is a public website that is available for anyone to access. It is easy to navigate and contains information from “what is Congestive Heart Failure” to “Find a local Cardiologist.” It contains a lot of detailed information and I would suggest this site for someone who has a medical background or has a good understanding of disease processes. It has good diagrams to help explain the parts of the heart that are affected.
American Heart Association: Congestive Heart Failure
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4585
The American Heart Association has done a great job giving the basics of this condition. It is one page that summarizes the disease process, possible causes, and treatment. This is a good summary to print out for patients at risk for or in the early stages of CHF.
Mayo Clinic: Heart Failure
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-failure/DS00061/DSECTION=symptoms
This is an excellent site to give to patients who have been recently diagnosed with CHF. It is in very easy to understand language and covers all of the bases.
American Academy of Family Physicians: Essentials of the Diagnosis of Heart Failure
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000301/1319.html
This article was written by two physicians at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn. It is a great resource for nurses wanting more information on how CHF is diagnosed. It gives great examples of signs and symptoms to watch for in your patients that are at risk for developing CHF. It also discusses labs and diagnostic tests that can be used in diagnosis of CHF.
Healthcommunities.com: Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Diagnosis
http://www.cardiologychannel.com/chf/diagnosis.shtml
Patients are often scared of the unknown. When a potential diagnosis of CHF has been brought to the attention of the patient, they oftentimes are scared and nervous of the potential testing that can go along with it. This link gives a brief description of what goes on during each potential procedure and what they can expect.
Annals of Internal Medicine: The association between hospital volume and processes, outcomes, and costs of care for congestive heart failure.
For those of us that deal with Medicare on a daily basis, this is an interesting study done researching the outcomes of patients with CHF related to the hospital that treats them. This study suggests that the outcomes for patients with CHF are better at institutions that care for a high volume of these types of patients, however it often comes with a higher price tag.
WebMD: Failing Hearts Healed With Stem Cells Bone Marrow Cells Repair Decade-Old Heart Attack Damage
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-failure/news/20110317/failing-hearts-healed-with-stem-cells
When it comes to advances in medical technology and treatments, Stem Cells are a hot topic. This article summarizes a study done using a patient’s own stem cells from their bone marrow to treat scar tissue caused by heart attacks. Damage caused by heart attacks is a cause of heart failure. This is a very new treatment, but has proven to be very effective thus far.
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: How can heart failure be prevented
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hf/HF_Prevention.html
This is a great resource to use in educating patients on ways to prevent heart failure, especially in those that are at high risk. With the right steps, heart failure can be prevented or very well controlled.
