What it means
The heart muscle is too weak or too stiff to move blood forward well, so blood and fluid back up behind it. When the left side fails, fluid backs up into the lungs and causes shortness of breathSHORT-nis uv BRETHThe feeling of not getting enough air or of having to work hard to breathe.Full entry , crackles and orthopneaor-THOP-nee-uhDifficulty breathing when lying flat that eases when sitting or standing up.ortho- upright-pnea breathingFull entry . When the right side fails, fluid backs up into the body and causes swollen legs (edemaih-DEE-muhSwelling caused by extra fluid trapped in the body's tissues.Full entry ), a large liver and weight gain. Many clients have both.
For the nurse
Weigh the client every morning at the same time, on the same scale, in the same clothes, and report a gain of 2 to 3 pounds (about 1 kg) in a day or 5 pounds (about 2 kg) in a week. Listen to lung sounds, check for edema and track intake and outputIN-tayk and OWT-putThe measured record of all fluids a client takes in and all fluids that leave the body over a set time.Full entry . Teach a low-sodium diet, any fluid limit and the medicines, such as diuretics like furosemidefyoo-ROH-suh-mideA loop diuretic: a drug that makes the kidneys remove more salt and water from the body.Full entry and digoxindih-JOK-sinA drug that makes the heart beat more strongly and more slowly.Full entry .
In a chart
"Weight up 1.5 kg since yesterday; 2+ pitting edema to both ankles; fine crackles in both bases."
Remember it
Left fails, lungs fill; right fails, the rest swells.
At a glance
| Abbreviations | HF; CHF (congestive heart failure, an older name) |
|---|---|
| Spanish | insuficiencia cardíaca |
| Also written | HF, heart-failure, congestive heart failure, CHF |
Related terms
orthopnea
Difficulty breathing when lying flat that eases when sitting or standing up.
furosemide
A loop diuretic: a drug that makes the kidneys remove more salt and water from the body.
digoxin
A drug that makes the heart beat more strongly and more slowly.
edema
Swelling caused by extra fluid trapped in the body's tissues.
cardi/o
A word part that means heart.
pulmonary edema
A buildup of fluid in the air sacs and tissues of the lungs.