Heart Failure Essay

Heart failure is when the heart is not functioning properly and becomes unable to supply the body properly with oxygen. Congestive heart failure is when this lack of function begins affecting the lungs ability to function normally by filling the alveoli with fluid. During normal functioning of the cardiovascular system, blood arrives at the right atrium of the heart via the vena cava. The right atrium empties blood into the right ventricle, which pumps it’s contents into the arterioles surrounding the alveoli of the lungs. From the lungs, the blood voyages to the left atrium of the heart. From there it is dumped into the left ventricle, which pumps it back out to the body eventually reaching the vena cava and thus completing the cycle. The

The atrial flutter was causing the heart to beat faster, which decreased the time available for the left ventricle to fill with blood, causing a decrease in cardiac output. This is evident by the confusion, and increased need for oxygen. The patients son reported that the patient had begun using oxygen throughout the day when, normally, she was only using it at night. The left ventricle, contracting abnormally, started having blood flow back into the lungs, increasing the after load of the right ventricle. Increased pressure in the arterioles, surrounding the alveoli, causes leaking to occur and deposit fluid into the alveoli. An indication of this is from the patient reporting a shortness of breath, and exhibiting a mild dry cough. Once the body begins to become starved of oxygen, the respiratory system tries to compensate by breathing faster. The dry cough could be an indication of the lungs attempt to clear itself of the deposited fluids that were accumulating or simply because she has a history of lung disease. Another indication of fluid build up would have been to auscultate the lungs for crackles during breath sounds. Increased pressure in the arterioles, means an increased after load for the right ventricle, moreover, causing the right ventricle to dysfunction. The patients history of lung disease means that any pressure in the