What causes acute heart failure?

Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
Updated on September 09, 2024
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Acute heart failure can occur in diseases of the heart itself, as well as in other serious diseases that lead to heart failure. Common cardiac diseases include severe arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, and myocardial infarction. If these diseases are not well treated, they can cause acute heart failure. Other diseases can be seen in cases such as drug poisoning, severe anemia, severe infection, and during the treatment of other diseases when excessive use of fluids increases the burden on the heart, leading to acute heart failure.

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What medicine is used for acute heart failure?

The most common clinical manifestation of acute heart failure is severe dyspnea, hypoxia, and even changes in consciousness, which are very common in clinical practice. For treatment, morphine can be administered intravenously or subcutaneously to reduce patient agitation and relieve myocardial oxygen consumption. Secondly, plastic can be used for rapid intravenous push. Thirdly, vasodilators can be used, such as glyceryl trinitrate and sodium nitroprusside intravenous infusion. Fourthly, positive inotropic drugs can be used, such as dopamine and dobutamine. Additionally, cardiac glycosides, such as digoxin, can be used.

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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.

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The basic mechanisms of heart failure

Heart failure is not an independent disease; it can be caused by various factors, such as myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, and various myocarditis, which lead to changes in the heart structure and subsequent cardiac dysfunction. Heart failure is mainly due to a disturbance in the heart's contractile function or diastolic function, which prevents the heart from adequately ejecting the returning blood volume. This results in pulmonary congestion, systemic circulation congestion, and a series of syndromes caused by insufficient arterial perfusion.

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Which department should I go to for heart failure?

Heart failure primarily includes left heart failure, right heart failure, and total heart failure. Patients should visit the cardiology outpatient clinic. Left heart failure mainly manifests as pulmonary congestion, which can cause varying degrees of breathing difficulty, coughing, expectoration of pink frothy sputum, palpitations, and fatigue. Right heart failure primarily appears as liver congestion and other symptoms related to the digestive system, such as nausea, vomiting, and gastrointestinal discomfort. Total heart failure includes symptoms of both left heart failure and right heart failure, and medical attention should be sought promptly after the onset of heart failure.

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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.