Heart failure: what provokes an exacerbation
8 questions on this concept, from 4 angles.
The idea in full
Most heart failure exacerbations are provoked rather than spontaneous, so preventing one and responding to one both include hunting the trigger — guideline-directed medicines skipped or stopped once the patient feels well, drugs that make the body hold salt and water such as the non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and the corticosteroids, sodium and fluid taken beyond the prescribed limits, and the intercurrent problems that overload an already failing ventricle: infection, uncontrolled hypertension, anemia, and a rhythm that has turned rapid or irregular — because relieving the congestion without removing what caused it simply returns the patient to the same episode.
Beliefs this concept corrects
- 1Feeling better is a reason to stop the medicine
- 2An over-the-counter painkiller is too minor to be worth mentioning
- 3A decompensation just means the disease is progressing, so there is nothing to look for
- 4Only prescription medicines count when reviewing what the patient takes
- 5Salt matters only when it is added at the table
- 6An infection is a separate problem from the heart failure
Your record
8 questions · 4 anglesYou have not practised this concept yet.