NURSING HEART FAILURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

NURSING HEART FAILURE - Essay Example A diastolic heart failure is characterized by the impairment of filling capacity of the ventricles and no change in the ejection fraction. Congestive heart failure is characterized by circulatory congestion and resulting transudation, particularly in the pulmonary tissue. Decompensated heart failure is an exacerbated heart failure usually due to the non compliance of the patient to pharmacotherapy or suggested behavioral modifications. Symptoms of heart failure include dyspnea, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea and history of oedema (Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network, 2009). The symptoms of heart failure depend upon the side of the affected ventricle. If the right ventricle is affected, symptoms will include peripheral oedema that involves thighs, sacrum and abdominal walls, ascites, anorexia, engorgement of facial veins, tricuspid regurgitation that manifests as pulsations in neck and face, epistaxis and depression. If the left ventricle is involved, the symptoms incl ude dyspnea, impaired exercise tolerance, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, nocturnal cough with or without pink frothy sputum, cold peripheries, cardiac asthma and muscle wasting. The lifetime risk of developing heart failure in an otherwise healthy 40-year old individual is approximately 1 in 5 in the general population (Djousse, 2009). The prevalence of this disease is rising across the world and this places an extra burden on the healthcare systems. While pharmacotherapies are very important, heart failure patients benefit greatly from the behavioral modifications that are a part of standard counseling sessions. This is where the nursing staff plays a key role in managing the patient. Part 2- consider an individual who has the diagnosis of heart failure. Discuss how the nurse can enable the patient to make alterations to his/her lifestyle to improve his/her health. Within your discussion you should examine the use of relevant models/theories that can improve the process o f behavior change. Introduction Chronic heart failure has multiple risk factors and the number of patients suffering from chronic heart failure is increasing by the hour. While genetic propensity in the development of cardiovascular disease is currently under a lot of light, the elimination of risk factors has shown to prevent heart disease and delay the onset of disease in patients with a genetic tendency towards heart failure. These factors include alcohol consumption, smoking tobacco, inactive lifestyle, high intake of food rich in salts and animal fat and stress. The disease may be further aggravated by non-compliance to pharmacotherapy. None of these factors are isolated factors and one person may be exposed to more than one or all of these factors. What is even more important is the fact that these factors, as harmful as they are, are socially accepted activities and therefore, it is imperative to derive a policy and structure that not only deals with this acceptance while mak ing people aware of the hazards that these factors pose but also to take steps that translate into optimal behavioral changes that lead to better cardiac health. Behavioral change theories have been gaining a lot of importance when it comes to planning and implementing public policies as well as designing programs that maximize the number of beneficiaries in the shortest possible time. These theories