Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure

Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
Updated on August 31, 2024
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Chronic heart failure is a common and frequent disease in clinical practice, often caused by severe myocardial damage, which leads to insufficient myocardial contraction and results in inadequate peripheral blood supply. The primary principles of treatment are to reduce the heart's burden, enhance its contractile strength, decrease the heart's workload, and reduce the returning blood volume to alleviate the heart's burden. Treatment involves using vasodilators to decrease cardiac resistance, positive inotropic drugs to strengthen cardiac contraction, and diuretics and a low-salt diet to reduce cardiac volume and returning blood volume. By employing these methods, the symptoms of chronic heart failure can be improved.

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Causes of acute heart failure

Acute heart failure refers to the acute onset of heart failure or an exacerbated clinical syndrome, which can present as either newly developed acute or acute decompensation of chronic heart failure. Clinically, it is commonly divided into two main categories. One category is acute left heart failure, often caused by acute decompensation of chronic heart failure, or by acute coronary syndrome, hypertensive emergencies, acute cardiac valvular dysfunction, severe myocarditis, serious arrhythmias, and peripartum cardiomyopathy. The other category is acute right heart failure, which can be caused by right ventricular infarction, acute large pulmonary embolism, and right-sided valvular heart disease.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
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51sec home-news-image

Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure

Chronic heart failure is a common and frequent disease in clinical practice, often caused by severe myocardial damage, which leads to insufficient myocardial contraction and results in inadequate peripheral blood supply. The primary principles of treatment are to reduce the heart's burden, enhance its contractile strength, decrease the heart's workload, and reduce the returning blood volume to alleviate the heart's burden. Treatment involves using vasodilators to decrease cardiac resistance, positive inotropic drugs to strengthen cardiac contraction, and diuretics and a low-salt diet to reduce cardiac volume and returning blood volume. By employing these methods, the symptoms of chronic heart failure can be improved.

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Written by Zhang Shu Kun
Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Where to massage for heart failure?

Patients with heart failure cannot be effectively treated by massage alone; it merely serves to alleviate symptoms. It is recommended to take medication for treatment purposes. However, massaging certain acupoints can be beneficial. Massaging the Neiguan point can significantly reduce symptoms of chest tightness and pain, and also alleviate fainting. Regularly massaging the Jiuwei point, also known as the Jianjing point, can effectively relieve angina caused by heart disease.

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Written by Wang Li Bing
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How is heart failure treated?

Heart failure is very common in clinical settings. The main treatments include strengthening the heart, diuresis, and vasodilation for symptomatic treatment. A mask or high-flow oxygen can be used if the patient's heart failure symptoms are difficult to correct, or if cardiogenic shock occurs. Aortic balloon counterpulsation and tracheal intubation can be adopted, with ventilator support for ventilation, and blood dialysis and other symptomatic supportive treatments can be used. Another point is to actively control or eliminate the causes of heart failure, etc.

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Symptoms of chronic heart failure

Chronic heart failure can be divided into left heart failure, right heart failure, and total heart failure. The symptoms of left heart failure primarily manifest as congestion in the pulmonary circulation, that is, a reduction in cardiac output. Patients may experience varying degrees of breathing difficulties, starting with exertional dyspnea, then orthopnea, followed by paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, and eventually acute pulmonary edema. Additional symptoms may include coughing, expectoration, hemoptysis, fatigue, tiredness, dizziness, reduced exercise tolerance, and symptoms of insufficient blood supply to organs and tissues, including oliguria and kidney damage. The symptoms of right heart failure can present as gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal distension, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and also exertional dyspnea. When both left and right heart failures occur, it is referred to as total heart failure. In cases of total heart failure, symptoms of both left and right heart failures may be present.