Acute heart failure

Acute heart failure is a condition caused by heart failure, as an organ that acts as a pump in the human body, it is responsible for the necessary blood circulation. Therefore, the emergence of this ailment, its symptoms and treatment are so urgent.

Heart failure (acute) is not a disease in itself. This is more the consequence and manifestation of those painful conditions that affect the myocardium or make it difficult to work. These include arterial hypertension, myocarditis, ischemic heart disease, as well as its defects, diffuse lung diseases and cardiomyopathy.

Acute heart failure implies the limitation of the contractility of the heart muscle. Since it performs the function of communicating blood of the necessary speed of movement, then if the contractility is disturbed, this entails the untimely delivery of various nutrients and oxygen to the tissues and organs of the human body. And also it becomes impossible to remove from them (organs and tissues) the products of metabolism.

As a result - malfunctions of normal chemical processes in all cells of the body. And as a result, there are violations of the functions of all organs and tissues of the body, and most importantly, the heart. Such a violation is characterized by a number of objective and subjective signs, which make it possible to diagnose cardiac insufficiency directly.

A sharp decrease in contractility can mainly affect only the muscle of either the right or the left ventricle. But more often it happens that a similar pathology is observed in both parts at the same time. The first case is designated as right ventricular failure, the second - left ventricular, the latter - total or combined heart failure.

To a similar condition, as a rule, lead certain changes. Thus, the inadequacy of this or that part of the heart is a consequence of pathological changes in the muscle of this organ. Also, the reason may be secondary changes in it, which arise with the long existence of obstacles to the work of the muscle itself.

Acute heart failure at the initial stages of its development is characterized by stagnation of blood in a small circle of circulation, namely in the lungs. This entails the appearance of edema in them. And this means that simultaneous development of acute pulmonary insufficiency is inevitable . A similar condition in the consideration of his clinical picture is often fraught with a lethal outcome.

First of all, this ailment is accompanied by cardiac asthma. As a rule, suddenly the patient begins to feel a shortage of air, which leads to a sharp shortness of breath, in which breathing becomes very difficult. If you do not provide prompt, qualified help in a timely manner, a person may begin the process of filling the pulmonary vesicles (alveoli) with a liquid. And this leads to a difficult gas exchange, that is, to the onset of oxygen starvation.

Acute congestive heart failure, the symptoms of which are very obvious and allow for an unmistakable diagnosis of the disease, requires immediate treatment. Beginning with the first minutes of development of this shortage, patients complain of severe shortness of breath, shortness of breath, a serious feeling of lack of air and an increased palpitations. In some cases, there is a loss of consciousness (a short-term, a type of fainting), and sometimes a collapse.

It should be noted that most often acute heart failure develops at night. Suddenly, the patient awakens due to lack of air. There is an increase in dyspnea and the appearance of a cough with the departure of a characteristic foamy light sputum, and sometimes with an admixture of scarlet blood. There is a sticky cold sweat, the skin becomes ashy-blue, especially the cyanotic color of the lips.

When the process begins to change into pulmonary edema, the condition deteriorates significantly. All the symptoms (the above) progress, there is a bubbling breath, and the sputum becomes abundant and frothy. Dyspnea develops into choking, the veins on the neck swell. But consciousness, as a rule, still remains clear. It is compulsory before the doctor arrives that care must be taken to ensure that the patient is in a semi-sitting position.

Acute heart failure in children often develops against the background of pre-existing defects with repeated rheumatism. And also in cases of severe myocarditis, hypertensive states. Often, such a pathology occurs with congenital heart defects, when there is a phase of adaptation to certain violations of hemodynamics. As a rule, this is the first year and a half of the child's life.