Such a common diagnosis, like acute heart failure (OCH), is a pathology in which the heart cavities lose the ability to contract synchronously. This provokes a decrease in the pump function of the organ, because of which all tissues begin to lack oxygen.
Causes of acute heart failure
Most often acute cardiovascular insufficiency becomes a consequence of chronic. In 60 - 70% of cases, especially in the elderly, OSS develops due to an exacerbation of an existing ischemic heart disease (myocardial infarction or its mechanical complications).
In young patients, pathology can be caused by:
- endocarditis;
- arrhythmia;
- heart disease;
- dilated cardiomyopathy (dilatation of the heart cavity);
- severe aortic stenosis;
- cardiac tamponade;
- severe acute myocarditis.
In addition to the main causes of pathology, the so-called. non-hearted factors contributing to its development:
- severe stroke ;
- kidney failure;
- pneumonia, septicemia and other infections;
- drug overdose;
- alcohol abuse;
- bronchial asthma;
- pheochromocytoma.
There are several variants of the clinical manifestation of the syndrome of acute heart failure:
- left ventricular OCH;
- right ventricular DOS;
- cardiogenic shock.
Signs of acute heart failure
With left ventricular OOS, gas exchange in the lungs is primarily disturbed due to stagnation in the small circle of circulation. Typical complaints are:
- severe shortness of breath;
- arrhythmia;
- abrupt weakness;
- cough.
A person with OSS tries to take a sitting position. If no help is provided, and stagnation of blood in a small circle progresses, a cough with bloody sputum may begin, with the pulse palpable with difficulty, the skin becomes pale, cold and sticky, and breathing - bubbling.
In the case of right ventricular OCH, when there is stagnation in the veins (a large circle of blood circulation), the following symptoms are recorded:
- pain behind the sternum;
- cold sweat and cyanosis of the skin;
- swelling of the veins (especially on the neck);
- drop in blood pressure;
- shortness of breath, suffocation;
- frequent threadlike pulse;
- swelling of the legs, dropsy;
In cardiogenic shock (it is also called the syndrome of small cardiac output), a person can greatly decrease the pressure (up to zero values). The patient experiences pain, his pulse is threadlike, the skin is pale. There is anuria (no urine in the bladder). Subsequently, kidney failure, pulmonary edema develops.
First aid for acute heart failure
In view of the fact that DOS is an urgent condition that seriously threatens human life, at the first signs of the development of pathology, an "ambulance" should be called. Determine without the involvement of a specialist type of failure is difficult, but if a patient experiences an attack is not the first time, he probably has in the medicine cabinet nitroglycerin, prescribed by a doctor. It should be noted that it is contraindicated to take this medicine or give it to someone without a doctor's recommendation, since a layman can easily confuse a heart attack even with a usual fainting , in which nitroglycerin is deadly dangerous.
The best first aid for acute heart failure is to call a doctor and provide the patient with fresh air. The doctor most likely prescribes diuretics and drugs of the nitroglycerin group (if the blood pressure is within the norm and there is a left ventricular OCH). If the pressure is low, give dopamine, dobutamine.
Treatment of right ventricular acute heart failure is oxygenation, administration of analgesics to the patient, prednisolone, diuretics, nitrates, cardiac glycosides.
Cardiogenic shock is also treated with oxigenotherapy, adrenaline, norepinephrine, dopamine, anticoagulants are prescribed.