Heart failure resident survival guide
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Mahmoud Sakr, M.D. [2]
Definition
Heart failure is a complex syndrome whereby there is inadequate output of the heart to meet the metabolic demands of the body. Abnormal function of different anatomic parts of the heart cause heart failure including the pericardium, the myocardium, the endocardium, the heart valves and the great vessels. Symptoms of heart failure are due to a lack of both forward blood flow to the body, and backward flow into the lungs. Heart failure is a clinical syndrome characterized by symptoms of dyspnea, edema and fatigue and signs such as rales on physical examination.
Causes
Life Threatening Causes
Conditions that may cause death or permanent disability within the next 24 hours
- Accelerated hypertension
- Acute kidney injury
- Acute myocardial ischemia
- Acute or progressive valvular disease (e.g. acute mitral regurgitation)
- Acute or subacute valve disease endocarditis
- Aortic dissection
- Cardiac arrhythmias, specially ventricular arrhythmias
- Cardiotoxic agents (e.g. alcohol, cocaine, and certain chemotherapy drugs)
- Diabetic emergencies (e.g. ketoacidosis)
- Myopericarditis
- Pulmonary embolus
- Severe anemia (e.g. acute hemolysis or blood loss)
- Systemic Inflammatory response syndrome
- Thyrotoxicosis