Congestive Cardiac Failure: Causes, Incidence, and Impact on Patients and Families

Running head: CONGESTIVE CARDIAC FAILURE
CONGESTIVE CARDIAC FAILURE
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1CONGESTIVE CARDIAC FAILURE
1. Outline the disease, causes, incidence and risk factors. Discuss the impact of the
selected disease on the patient and their family.
Answer: Congestive cardiac failure is a disorder where pumping efficiency of the heart is
reduced greatly. So the blood flow becomes slower in the body and the blood pressure
increases. The kidneys cause the body to retain more fluid which bloats up the arms, feet,
legs, ankles and lungs so the body is congested (Scott & Winters, 2015). So this disorder is
called as congested cardiac failure.
Causes of congestive cardiac failure:
 History of myocardial infarction.
 Heart valve related disorders.
 Longstanding alcohol consumption.
 High BP.
 Coronary artery disorder.
 Abnormalities in the heart rhythm.
 Thyroid disorder.
 Stiffening of heart muscles by viral infection.
Incidence:
Incidence of congestive cardiac failure increases significantly with aging. So older
people are more vulnerable to this disease. The incidence of congestive cardiac failure is
higher in men than women. 1 to 5 person per 1000 patients is affected by this disease among
people younger than 65 years while 10 person per 1000 patients is affected among people
older than 65 years (Dokainish et al., 2017). The number increases more among the people
older than 75 years. 1 to 2 % people are affected by congestive cardiac disease who are less

2CONGESTIVE CARDIAC FAILURE
than 65 years old. It is 2 to 3 % in people older than 65 years old while it reaches 5 to 10 % in
individuals older than 75 years.
Risk factors:
 Previous incidence of myocardial infarction (Payne et al., 2015).
 High BP.
 Diabetes and prediabetes.
 High level of Cholesterol.
 Smoking and alcohol consumption.
 Being physically dormant.
 Having a history of heart related diseases in the family.
 Being obese or overweight.
 History of preeclampsia at the time of pregnancy.
 Cardiomyopathy or heart enlargement.
 Aberration in the heart valves.
Impact of congestive cardiac failure on the patient and their family
Mrs. Sharon McKenzie is 77 years old and suffering from acute congestive cardio
failure. She can not do simple things like going for a walk with her husband or gardening as
she feels out of breathe. Because of her physical condition her quality of life and social
interaction is affected. She is spending her life in hospital so she cannot spend quality time
with her family and friends. Because of this she is feeling isolated and her mental health is
deteriorating as well. The family is also going through anxiety and pain as the patient was in
emergency department. So the family is also mentally and financially burdened because of
the dismal health condition of the Mrs. McKenzie.

3CONGESTIVE CARDIAC FAILURE
2. Discuss three (3) common signs and symptoms of the selected disease and explain the
underlying pathophysiology of each.
Answer: Shortness of breath or dyspnea, fatigue and fluid retention in the body are the most
common symptoms of congestive cardiac failure.
 Shortness of breath or Dyspnea: Poor cardiac output causes slower flow of blood. The
kidney causes fluid retention which affects the lung. The fluid filled lung causes
shortness of breath specially while performing a physical activity by the patient. Lung
congestion causes wheezing. As the cardiac output is slower the heart beats faster to
supply adequate blood to the body. This results in irregular and rapid heartbeat.
 Lesser blood supply to kidney causes fluid and water retention by the kidney. It
causes swollen ankles, legs, abdomen which is called as edema (François, Ronco &
Bargman, 2015). Higher level of water retention causes the individual to urinate for
several times. The edema and bloating of the stomach may result in mild nausea and
loss of appetite.
 Dizziness, weakness and fatigue is a common symptom as the blood supply is lesser
and slower due to poor cardiac output by the ventricles of the heart. So the oxygen
supply to the organ and the muscle is significantly lower which causes weakness,
fatigue. The oxygen supply to brain is also reduced which causes dizziness.
Extremities like fingers and feet get lesser supply of blood so it feels cold.
Ventricles pumps out blood from the heart to the whole body. In case of congested cardiac
failure the cardiac output is significantly reduced. So the blood supply to the different organs
and muscles of the body is slower and lesser. Blood carries oxygen to the different parts of
the body to lower blood supply causes reduced oxygen supply to the organs and the brain.
Sp02 at 92% on RA reflects the same. Dizziness and fatigue is caused by this. Lesser supply