Factors promoting rapid worsening of acute heart failure

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Nguyen Quoc Viet - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

Heart failure is the ultimate pathology of cardiovascular diseases. Among them, acute heart failure is a common form of heart failure. There are many factors that promote the rapid worsening of acute heart failure, the need for emergency treatment, and the high mortality rate despite advances in treatment.

1. Acute heart failure

Heart failure is the final common pathway of cardiovascular diseases. Heart failure is divided into two types: acute heart failure and chronic heart failure. Acute heart failure can be a new-onset heart failure or an exacerbation of chronic heart failure (called an acute decompensation of heart failure). The acute form of heart failure in patients with chronic heart failure is more common clinically. Patients arriving at the hospital with acute heart failure need to be treated urgently, if delayed can fall into cardiogenic shock, and the mortality rate is very high.
Acute heart failure can be acute pulmonary edema or cardiogenic shock. New-onset acute heart failure accounts for 20%, the remaining 80% is decompensated acute heart failure on the background of chronic heart failure.
New-onset acute heart failure often has a rapid onset, the heart muscle does not have enough time to adapt to the state of heart failure. Patients often have signs of shortness of breath, even unresponsive to oxygen, but must support artificial ventilation.
Causes of acute heart failure are often due to:
Acute mitral regurgitation, acute aortic regurgitation due to infective endocarditis Acute myocardial infarction: Mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction: perforation interventricular septum, rupture of the mitral ligament, rupture of the free wall of the heart Acute cardiac tamponade Acute pulmonary embolism

2. Risk factors for acute heart failure

Patients with infective endocarditis Patients immobilized for a long time, after surgery at risk of acute pulmonary embolism Have risk factors for coronary artery disease, may develop acute myocardial infarction Male more often than women Older people Smoking is a lot Diabetes Obesity Dyslipidemia: uncontrolled hypertension, untreated cardiac arrhythmias

3. Factors promoting rapid worsening of acute heart failure

3.1 Complications that aggravate acute heart failure rapidly Cardiac arrhythmias: severe tachycardia or bradycardia, or conduction disturbances Acute coronary syndromes Mechanical complications of acute coronary syndromes include: rupture of the interventricular septum, rupture of the mitral valve... Acute pulmonary embolism Emergency hypertensive crisis Cardiac tamponade Aortic dissection Surgery and perioperative problems Perinatal cardiomyopathy 3.2 Common events slowly worsening heart failure Infection (including infective endocarditis) Exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or bronchial asthma Anemia Impaired renal function Failure to adhere to diet or medication Causes caused by a physician, eg prescribing a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or corticosteroid, drug interactions Arrhythmia, bradycardia, conduction disturbance but not sudden, severe decrease in heart rate Uncontrolled hypertension get addicted to alcohol and drugs

4. Prevention

To prevent and reduce severe heart failure, patients should:
Quit smoking, stimulants such as alcohol, beer,... Have a healthy diet: reduce salt, high in fiber, eat healthy food. low in animal fat, replace with vegetable oil Lose weight if overweight Do gentle exercise depending on the severity of the disease Prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis in patients who have to be immobile, lie down for a long time Control blood sugar, blood pressure Take medicine regularly, do not arbitrarily give up or stop medicine Do not arbitrarily inject into the body at unsafe facilities Follow the correct treatment regimen under the guidance of a specialist, periodically re-examine...
Acute heart failure is a dangerous disease with a high risk of death. Therefore, patients need to absolutely apply treatment methods and give up bad habits that affect their health to reduce the factors that promote acute heart failure. When you see any abnormal signs, you should immediately go to a medical facility for timely emergency treatment.
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Reference article source: Vietnam Cardiology Association