Critical Care : Heart Failure Documentation

Heart Failure Documentation:

Documentation about heart failure is critical to accurately determine a patient's severity of illness. So do we need to know to document well about heart failure? 

It's easy: 2 things to clarify

1. ACUTE vs CHRONIC
2. SYSTOLIC vs DIASTOLIC

Reminder: 

Systolic Heart Failure

The inability to expel sufficient blood, has a decreased ejection fraction. 
Causes: Decreased contractility (ischemia, MI, chronic mitral regurg), Increased afterload (aortic stenosis, hypertensive crisis)

Diastolic Heart Failure
Failure to relax and fill normally, has a normal ejection fraction.
Causes: Chronic hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, aortic stenosis, coronary disease


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