Acute heart failure is a critical change in the work of the body's cardiovascular system. This dangerous disease manifests itself in both adults and children.
Classification
One of the types of circulatory disorders in the human body is called acute heart failure. Normal work of all organs is impossible without a sufficient amount of incoming blood, and with it - oxygen. With circulatory disorders in the body, a serious failure occurs.
Acute heart failure is dangerous because it appears suddenly. It may be the result of any other disease or organ dysfunction. Lifestyle also plays a big role. Smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages have a negative effect on the functioning of the body. As a result of these bad habits, the blood thickens, which leads to blockage of blood vessels and a stop of the entire circulatory system.
Important. If qualified medical care is not provided in a timely manner, a person can die in a matter of hours.
The danger of the disease lies in the fact that it can manifest itself against the background of chronic heart failure.
The disease has certain varieties, the diagnosis of which is impossible without a medical examination.
Types of disease by localization:
- left ventricular;
- right ventricular;
- mixed.
The first type manifests itself when the left ventricle is overloaded or as a result of destabilization of the contractile function of the myocardium. There is a narrowing of the aorta and myocardial infarction, leading to a sharp decrease in the amount of blood in the systemic circulation.
Right ventricular pathology is characterized by stagnation of blood in the systemic circulation. It appears as a result of overload of the right ventricle. The patient has swelling of the internal organs (often of the lungs), discoloration of the skin, general depletion of the body.
The mixed type of the disease, characterized by destabilization of the work of the right and left stomachs, is considered the most dangerous type - blood circulation in the body is completely disrupted.
There is also a classification of the disease, which is determined by the hypokinetic type of hemodynamics. It includes reflex shock (pain syndrome in the heart region, which is eliminated with the help of anesthetic therapy); arrhythmic shock (appears as a result of heartbeat disorders); cardiogenic shock (diagnosed in people over the age of 60 years, heart muscle damage exceeds by 40-50% the total mass of the left stomach myocardium).
The condition of the body in which the heart is unable to provide organs with a normal amount of blood is called a sharp deterioration in chronic acute heart failure.
Signs of illness
Timely care can save a patient's life. It is for this reason that it is necessary to know the main signs of the disease.
These include shortness of breath, general weakness and rapid fatigability of a person, even with light exertion. Confusion, threadlike pulse, drowsiness, fluctuations in blood pressure, edema of the lower extremities are also observed.
Signs of left ventricular acute heart failure:
- moist cough with foamy sputum;
- wheezing in the bronchi and lungs;
- dyspnea;
- attacks of suffocation at night;
- chest pain, transmitted under the scapula;
- constant dizziness.
The patient is in a position that is comfortable for him almost all the time - a sitting position. Fainting is quite common. During the course of the disease, cardiogenic shock, pulmonary edema and cardiac asthma develop.
Signs of right ventricular pathology:
- discomfort in the sternum;
- dyspnea;
- dizziness;
- increased heart rate;
- swelling of the limbs;
- pallor of the skin;
- swelling of the veins located in the neck;
- weakness;
- ascites;
- acrocyanosis;
- hyperhidrosis;
- gelatomegaly.
The disease is characterized by stagnation of blood in the systemic circulation.
In the early stages of the disease, symptoms will be mild. Shortness of breath may appear during exercise. The patient often ignores it, due to age-related changes in the body. A cough appears due to an increase in pressure in the vessels of the lungs. Heart palpitations are observed after exercise or eating. The patient complains of rapid fatigue and general weakness.
Quite often, the patient has a decrease in the amount of urine. This is due to impaired circulation in the small pelvis. Swelling appears on the lower extremities. The tip of the nose, as well as the skin of the feet and hands, acquire a bluish tint.
Important. If stagnation of blood is formed in the vessels of the liver, acute heart failure is accompanied by pain syndromes under the right rib.
As the disease progresses, blood circulation in the brain is impaired. The main symptoms at this stage are irritability, fatigue after mental stress, a constant state of depression. Sleep disturbance is observed. If measures are not taken in a timely manner, the pathology will lead to death.
Acute heart failure and its symptoms before death:
- unbearable pain in the heart and under the scapula;
- drowsiness;
- general weakness of the body;
- noisy breathing, which then slows down, becomes convulsive;
- dilated pupils;
- change in the shade of the skin (pallor);
- the pulse on the carotid arteries is not felt;
- lack of pupillary and corneal reflexes;
- light-headedness.
Important. If you observe all these symptoms, you must immediately call an ambulance.
A person can die in a matter of minutes. As a rule, deaths are observed outside stationary conditions. Death can occur as a result of nervous shocks or significant physical exertion. There are frequent cases of mortality at rest. It all depends on the stage of development of the disease.
Causes of occurrence
The heart is the main link in the blood circulation chain. Violations in its work will cause destabilization in the functioning of all organs.
The main causes of acute heart failure are:
- heart disease (acute myocardial infarction, myocarditis);
- pathology of development and operation of the chambers of the heart and its valves;
- myocardial hypertrophy;
- decompensation of chronic insufficiency;
- hypertensive crisis;
- cardiac tamponade - stagnation of fluid between the leaves of the pericardial sac;
- pulmonary embolism - the formation of blood clots that most often clog veins in the pelvis and lower extremities;
- acute diseases of the lungs and bronchi.
These causes of acute heart failure are observed as a result of disruptions in the work of the main organ. Insufficient amount of blood is supplied to the vessels.
There are several more reasons for the development of the disease that are not related to the functioning of the heart muscle. These include: extensive surgical intervention in the human body (restoration of internal organs after damage), respiratory infections, brain injuries, nervous shocks, excessive use of antidepressants, bronchial asthma, stroke, toxic effects on the myocardium.
The latter is extremely dangerous for the whole organism. It appears as a result of excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, as well as smoking.
Traditional treatment
With timely diagnosis, the patient can save his life. Treatment of acute heart failure requires an integrated approach. The main actions are aimed at reducing the symptoms of the disease.
Important. Patients who have been diagnosed with acute heart failure, and have identified the reasons for its occurrence, need immediate hospitalization.
The patient is prescribed vasodilators to reduce the pressure in the venous vessels. Medicines of this type will help reduce the amount of blood flowing to the heart. This effect suppresses the systolic load on the myocardium.
Foamy sputum and progressive shortness of breath are eliminated with the help of special drugs. Pulmonary edema and cardiogenic shock are neutralized.
If blood stagnation forms in a small circle of circulation, bloodletting must be done. This will help to suppress the risk of a person's pulmonary and respiratory tract edema. As a result of proper treatment, blood flow in the venous vessels decreases.
Note. Bloodletting is done in a volume of no more than 500 ml. With anemia and low blood pressure, this method of treatment is contraindicated.
In severe cases of the disease, leeches are additionally used. They are placed on the sacrum area. When the attack is localized in the right stomach, leeches are placed in the area of the liver. If cardiac asthma is observed, phlebotomy is performed with a radical method.
Quite often, they try to treat the patient with the help of alternative medicine methods or folk remedies. Self-medication can lead to negative consequences, as well as death.
Features of pathology in children
Acute heart failure is a disease that occurs not only in an adult, but also in a child. It is possible to diagnose such a disease in time by passing certain tests and undergoing an ultrasound scan.
Acute heart failure in children can be left ventricular, right ventricular and total. The disease occurs as a complication after previous infections, in the presence of allergic-type diseases, as a result of exogenous poisoning. Quite often observed in children who are born with heart defects. A feature of the disease is its rapid course.
There are three stages in the development of the disease:
- At the first, shortness of breath, tachycardia, muffled heart sounds, moist and dry wheezing are observed, minute blood volume decreases.
- The second is characterized by the presence of signs of pulmonary edema, an enlarged liver, the appearance of wheezing during breathing, and puffiness of the face is observed.
- At the third stage, pulmonary edema, fluctuations in blood pressure and oligoanuria are diagnosed.
The disease can be triggered by an irregular heartbeat as a result of excessive activity. The integrity of the myocardium also plays an important role. If it is damaged, blood does not flow to all organs in a timely manner.
Forecast
The syndrome and type of acute heart failure can only be diagnosed as a result of a proper medical examination. The prognosis for the patient cannot be called negative. According to statistics, the mortality rate of patients within 60 days after the onset of the disease is 10%. Upon re-hospitalization - 35%. The first year of the course of the disease is characterized by a mortality rate of 40%.
Almost every second patient diagnosed with the disease needs re-hospitalization.
To save the patient, you must undergo a qualified medical examination. Based on the results of the tests received, the doctor makes a diagnosis and prescribes treatment. It is not recommended to ignore the first signs of acute heart failure. The disease develops rather quickly, and sometimes it is impossible to save a person's life.
