The Congestive Heart Failure Assignment Paper

The Congestive Heart Failure Assignment Paper

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Scenario: 76-year-old female patient complains of weight gain, shortness of breath, peripheral edema, and abdominal swelling. She has a history of congestive heart failure and admits to not taking her diuretic, as it makes her “have to get up every couple hours to go to the bathroom.” She now must sleep on two pillows in order to get enough air.

In your Case Study Analysis related to the scenario provided, explain the following:
1. The cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary pathophysiologic processes that result in the patient presenting these symptoms.
2. Any racial/ethnic variables that may impact physiological functioning.
3. How these processes interact to affect the patient.
A paragraph and at least 3 primary references needed to support your points (peer reviewed current articles, classroom textbook)The Congestive Heart Failure Assignment Paper

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The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in elderly adults aged 65 years and above has increased significantly, becoming a major public health concern. Rodgers et al. (2019) reported age as the most significant contributing factor for CVD in adults. The rate of CVD in US elderly adults aged 60–79 and above 80 years is approximately 75% and 86%, respectively (Rodgers et al., 2019)The Congestive Heart Failure Assignment Paper. The risk of CVD in the elderly population is further compounded by obesity, frailty, and diabetes Mellitus (Rodgers et al., 2019). The trend of CVD in the geriatric population in the US exposes the healthcare system to a huge economic burden. The case study is about a 76yo female who presented to the clinic with different complaints, including shortness of breath, weight gain, abdominal swelling, and peripheral edema. The client reports a history of congestive heart failure and is non-compliant with the prescribed diuretic. She reveals waking up frequently to visit the bathroom. She further reports on two pillows to get adequate air. This paper presents cardiopulmonary and cardiovascular pathophysiologic processes contributing to reported symptoms; the impact of race or ethnicity on physiological functioning; and the effect of processes’ interaction on the patient.

Cardiopulmonary and Cardiovascular Pathophysiologic Processes Contributing to Reported Symptoms

During the clinical assessment, the client reports various complaints, including shortness of breath, weight gain, abdominal swelling, peripheral edema, and waking up frequently to visit the bathroom. The cardiovascular system includes the heart and blood vessels. The heart pumps blood to the vessels, including major arteries, veins, and capillaries, which transport it to other parts of the body. Congestive heart failure results from abnormalities of the heart and the entire cardiovascular system (Brashers & Huether, 2019)The Congestive Heart Failure Assignment Paper. In the above scenario, changes in the cardiac muscle’s structure result in functional cardiac abnormality. The client’s heart muscle cannot pump blood efficiently, reducing overall cardiac output. Blood backup and fluid buildup in various body parts such as the lungs, abdomen, and legs. Thus, the accumulation of extra fluid in the client’s body contributed to reported weight gain and abdominal swelling. The client also experiences peripheral edema due to the accumulation of blood in front of the cardiac muscle since it is too weak to pump blood efficiently. Furthermore, the client experiences shortness of breath due to low oxygen levels in her blood. Pacileo et al. (2021) attributed shortness of breath in individuals diagnosed with CHF to pulmonary vascular congestion, reducing oxygen levels. Lastly, the client reports waking up frequently to visit the bathroom. Malik et al. (2021) attributed sodium and fluid accumulation in CHF patients to impaired kidney functioning, which delays the excretion of sodium from the body. Thus, the client’s frequent urination is caused a decline in the amount of blood flowing to the kidneys for excretion and more fluid being retained in the body.

The Impact of Racial or Ethnicity on Physiological Functioning

Racial background is a significant contributing factor for CVDs, including congestive heart failure. Studies conducted in the US show that African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to develop heart failure than whites (Lu et al., 2018). According to Tillman et al. (2019), the incidence of heart failure in African Americans is about 50% higher than in the general population. This trend is associated with a high rate of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in these minority groups. Additionally, a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% or below increases heart failure risk. Furthermore, the high risk of HF in African Americans is attributed to modifiable cardiometabolic risk variables, including a high body mass index (BMI), elevated diastolic blood pressure (BP), kidney disease, and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (Nayak et al., 2020)The Congestive Heart Failure Assignment Paper.

The Effect of Processes’ Interaction on the Patient

The interaction of the two pathophysiological processes affects the patient. The client’s cardiac muscle fails to pump blood efficiently due to structural abnormalities. Consequently, blood vessels fail to transport to various body parts, including the kidney. As a result, blood backs up and fluid build in the heart and abdomen, resulting in reported symptoms, including weight gain, abdominal swelling, peripheral edema, waking up frequently to visit the bathroom, and shortness of breath, which characterize heart failure (Okada et al., 2023) Therefore, the interaction of the two processes adversely affect the patient by the increased likelihood of developing heart problems, which could be fatal.

Overall, the client’s symptoms indicate potential CHF. These symptoms result from the interaction of cardiopulmonary and cardiovascular processes. Blood vessels fail to transport blood to other body parts once the heart muscle fails to pump blood efficiently. Excess fluid accumulates in the body resulting in weight gain, abdominal swelling, peripheral edema, and frequent urination. Additionally, the patient experiences shortness of breath due to a decrease in the oxygen level in her blood. The Congestive Heart Failure Assignment Paper

References

Brashers, V. L., & Huether, S. E. (2019). Alterations of pulmonary function. In K. L. McCance & S. E. Huether (Eds.), Pathophysiology: The biologic basis for disease in adults and children (8^th ed, pp. 1162-1200). Mosby.

Lu, H.T., Nordin, R.B., Azan, A., & Rahim, A. (2018).Influence of Race in the Association of Diabetes and Heart Failure. US Cardiology Review, 12(1), 17-21.

Malik A, Brito D, Vaqar S, et al. (2021). Congestive Heart Failure. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430873/

Nayak, A., Hicks, A. J., & Morris, A. A. (2020). Understanding the complexity of heart failure risk and treatment in black patients. Circulation: Heart Failure, 13(8), e007264.

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Okada, A., Tsuchihashi-Makaya, M., Nagao, N., & Ochiai, R. (2023). Somatic changes perceived by patients with heart failure during acute exacerbation: a qualitative study using text mining. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 38(1), 23-32.

Pacileo, G., Grigioni, F., Masarone, D., & Potena, L. (2021). Advanced heart failure: From pathophysiology to clinical management. Heart Failure Clinics, 17(4): 1-7.

Rodgers, J. L., Jones, J., Bolleddu, S. I., Vanthenapalli, S., Rodgers, L. E., Shah, K., … & Panguluri, S. K. (2019). Cardiovascular risks associated with gender and aging. Journal of cardiovascular development and disease, 6(2), 19.

Tillman, F., Kim, J., Makhlouf, T., & Osae, L. (2019). A comprehensive review of chronic heart failure pharmacotherapy treatment approaches in African Americans. Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Disease, 13, 1753944719840192. The Congestive Heart Failure Assignment Paper