Heart failure (Clinical manifestations and Complications )
Clinical manifestations:
1- Symptoms that a heart failure patient may experience:
- Dyspnea ( most common)
- Orthopnea
- Tachypnea
- Exercise intolerance
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Nocturia
- Hemoptysis ( Blood is coughed up through the lungs )
- Abdominal pain
- Anorexia
- Peripheral edema
- Bloating
- Ascites ( gastrointestinal tract disorder)
- Mental status changes
2- Signs that may indicate a patient's heart failure:
- Pulmonary rales
- Pulmonary edema
- Pleural effusion
- Tachycardia
- Cardiomegaly
- Peripheral edema
- Jugular venous
- distension
- Hepatomegaly
3- Laboratory tests:
- Echocardiogram: This examination is useful in detecting the presence of hyperatrophy in the left ventricle.
- Chest X-ray: This is useful in examining whether the patient has cardiac enlargement and pulmonary edema or not.
- Electrocardiogram ( ECG )
Complications:
1- Gastrointestinal disorder: malabsorption , hepatic dysfunction and hepatic congestion.
2- Muscle disorder: muscle wasting.
3- Arrhythmia: ventricular fibrillation, atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia.
4- Thromboembolism: stroke , peripheral embolism and pulmonary embolism.
5- Respiratory disorder: pulmonary congestion and respiratory muscle weakness.