Acute heart failure typical symptoms

Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
Updated on September 25, 2024
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The typical symptoms of acute heart failure include sudden severe difficulty breathing, increased respiratory rate, and patients generally presenting a forced sitting position, with pale, grayish complexion and cyanotic lips. They often have profuse sweating, restlessness, frequent coughing, and coughing up pink frothy sputum. The condition can be critical, leading to consciousness disturbances due to lack of oxygen. Once acute heart failure occurs, active treatment is essential. The most common clinical approaches include strengthening the heart, diuresis, and vasodilation for symptomatic active management.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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Can people with heart failure eat fish?

Patients with heart failure can eat fish, as fish contains a large amount of high-quality protein, vitamin B, trace elements, and minerals. Consuming fish can increase the high-quality protein the body needs, enhance the body's immunity and disease resistance. Especially for patients with heart failure, who suffer from chronic myocardial ischemia, need nutritional support. When preparing fish, it should not be made too salty, as patients with heart failure should follow a low-salt diet. If the fish is too salty, consuming it in excess could exacerbate heart failure. Preparing fish in a lighter way, such as making fish soup, can not only supplement the body's high-quality protein but also be easier to digest.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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Can acute heart failure be cured?

Acute heart failure refers to the acute onset or exacerbation of a clinical syndrome of heart failure, manifested as either acute onset of new heart failure or acute worsening of chronic heart failure. The goal of treatment is to improve symptoms, stabilize hemodynamic status, protect vital organ functions, improve prognosis, and prevent recurrence. Because the ischemia and hypoxia during an acute heart failure episode, along with severe respiratory distress, are life-threatening, urgent intervention is required. However, whether it can be cured depends on the underlying disease. Since the underlying disease is already present, it cannot be completely cured, but clinical symptoms and prognosis can be improved.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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Compensatory mechanisms of acute heart failure

There are several compensatory methods for acute heart failure. The first is mechanical ventilation, including non-invasive mechanical ventilation and tracheal intubation. Mechanical ventilation is commonly referred to as assisted breathing with a ventilator. The second is continuous renal replacement therapy, commonly known as total ultrafiltration, which can be used to remove excess fluid and metabolic waste from the body. The third is intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation, which can effectively improve myocardial perfusion, reduce myocardial oxygen consumption, and increase cardiac output. The fourth is extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, commonly known as ECMO, which provides external cardiopulmonary support when the heart cannot maintain systemic perfusion or when the kidneys cannot adequately exchange gases. The fifth is the implantable left ventricular assist device, which can maintain peripheral perfusion during acute heart failure and reduce myocardial oxygen consumption, thus reducing cardiac injury. These five methods can provide compensatory treatment when drug therapy is ineffective for patients with acute heart failure.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
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Why does heart failure cause ascites?

Heart failure is relatively common in clinical settings, primarily divided into left heart failure, right heart failure, and global heart failure. The clinical manifestations of left heart failure are mainly reflected in symptoms of pulmonary congestion. It can present as varying degrees of dyspnea, cough, expectoration, palpitations, and fatigue. Right heart failure is mainly due to obstruction of the inferior vena cava flow, leading to increased venous pressure and capillary pressure. This causes plasma components to extravasate and ultimately leads to the formation of ascites. Global heart failure includes the symptoms of both left and right heart failure. Therefore, it is essential to seek medical attention promptly after heart failure occurs.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
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Is the heart rate fast or slow in heart failure?

Heart failure is also relatively common in clinical practice, primarily due to dysfunction in the heart's contractile or relaxation capabilities. This leads to ineffective expulsion of venous blood returning to the heart, resulting in venous congestion and a series of symptoms. Patients typically experience varying degrees of breathing difficulty, coughing, expectoration, coughing up pink frothy sputum, as well as gastrointestinal symptoms. Following the onset of heart failure, a patient's heart rate generally increases as a compensatory response to promote increased cardiac output. If a patient enters the terminal stage of heart failure, a decrease in heart rate may occur, and can even lead to death.