Congestive Heart Failure Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a condition where the heart doesn’t pump blood as well as it should. Sometimes CHF can be referred to as Heart Failure. Heart Failure becomes CHF when it hits the stage where there is fluid built up around the heart causing ineffective pumping of the heart. CHF eventually causes a backup of fluid and blood into the liver, abdomen, lungs, and lower body. All different types of people can develop CHF and there are different ways to go about treating it. The nursing care provided to a patient with CHF and the way the disease progresses is patient specific.
Description of the Condition There are two common classifications of CHF, left-sided and right-sided. Left-sided CHF is more …show more content…
Many doctors and websites about CHF recommend lifestyle changes to improve symptom relief and possibly even slow down the disease process. Smoking cessation, maintaining a healthy weight, recording fluid intake, avoiding alcohol, limiting or avoiding caffeine, eating a healthy diet, exercise, trying to limit stress, monitoring blood pressure, getting enough rest, and developing a support system are all lifestyle changes that can be very beneficial (American Heart Association Website). Lifestyle changes can be a difficult adjustment but if changes are made slowly and realistically it can be easier. It is important for a person living with CHF to develop a support system. The support system should include family, friends, and medical staff, such as primary care providers and specialists that deal with CHF. As CHF progresses the person living with it will not be able to do some of the daily tasks that they were so used to doing for themselves. The later stages of CHF cause a person to be able to have very limited physical activity. It will be important at this point to have somebody a person can call to assist them in these tasks. Support systems are also important because many people diagnosed with a terminal illness like CHF develop depression. It is also important for the individuals in the support system to also take care of