Heart failure is a clinical syndrome characterised by the symptoms and signs that occur due to a reduced cardiac output and/or increased filling pressures.
Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction â âsystolic heart failureâ
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)Â â âdiastolic heart failureâ
Reduced perfusion | Pulmonary congestion (LVF) | Systemic congestion (RVF) | |
Symptoms | â¢Fatigue â¢Exercise intolerance | â¢SOB on exertion, orthopnoea â¢Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea â¢White/pink frothy sputum â¢Cardiac wheeze | â¢Peripheral oedema â¢Weight gain â¢Bloating and reduced appetite |
Signs | â¢Cyanosis â¢Tachypnoea/ tachycardia â¢Cool extremities â¢Oliguria | â¢Pulmonary oedema (fine basal creps) â¢Pleural effusions â¢S3/ventricular gallop â¢Hypotension (in advanced heart failure) | â¢Raised JVP â¢Peripheral oedema (pedal, sacral, scrotal) â¢Hepatomegaly â¢Ascites |
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Acute pulmonary oedema…
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What are the chest radiograph (CXR) findings in heart failure?
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What does a giant V wave in the JVP suggest?
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What is cardiac output dependent on?
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What is Kussmaul’s sign?
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Picture references
Peripheral cyanosis: 2011 James Heilman, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en). Sourced from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cynosis.JPG
Pitting oedema: James Heilman, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en). Sourced from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Combinpedal.jpg
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