Hypertension
S/S: Often asymptomatic until it becomes severe or causes complications.
Common symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, nosebleeds, and shortness of breath.
Complications: **
- Cardiovascular: Increased risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
- Renal: Kidney damage or failure.
- Neurological: Cognitive impairment or dementia.
- Others: Eye damage, peripheral arterial disease.
Diagnostics:
● Blood Pressure Measurement: Elevated blood pressure readings over multiple visits.
● Lab Tests: Blood tests to check for underlying conditions like diabetes or kidney
disease.
● Imaging: ECG, echocardiogram, or ultrasound to assess heart and vascular health.
Medication: **
Antihypertensives: ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), beta-blockers,
calcium channel blockers, diuretics.
Nursing Care/ Patient Thinking:
Monitoring: Regular blood pressure checks.
Lifestyle Modifications: Encouraging healthy diet (low sodium, rich in fruits and vegetables),
regular exercise, weight management, stress reduction.
Medication Adherence: Educating on the importance of taking medications as prescribed.
Risk Factor Education: Teaching about risk factors like smoking, alcohol, and stress.
Heart Failure
Risk Factors
- Coronary artery disease (CAD): Narrowing of the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart.
- High blood pressure (hypertension): Puts strain on the heart muscle over time.
- Previous heart attack: Damages the heart muscle.
- Diabetes: Increases the risk of developing heart disease.
- Obesity: Can lead to conditions that increase the risk of heart failure.
- Smoking: Damages the heart and blood vessels.
, - Family history: Genetic predisposition to heart disease.
- Age: Older age increases risk.
**Weight Management and Heart Failure
Pathophysiology
● Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump blood effectively to meet the
body's needs.
● Can result from damage to the heart muscle (as in myocardial infarction), chronic
hypertension, or other conditions affecting heart function.
● The heart compensates initially by enlarging, developing more muscle mass, or pumping
faster, but over time these mechanisms can worsen heart function.
Types of HF
Systolic HF: Impaired contraction of the heart muscle.
Diastolic HF: Impaired relaxation and filling of the heart chambers.
Left-sided HF: Inability to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body.
Right-sided HF: Inability to effectively pump blood to the lungs.
S/S
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Swelling (edema) in legs, ankles, or abdomen
Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Persistent cough or wheezing
Complications
- Pulmonary edema: Fluid buildup in the lungs.
- Kidney damage: Reduced blood flow affects kidney function.
- Liver damage: Congestion can affect liver function.
- Arrhythmias: Abnormal heart rhythms.
- Death: Advanced heart failure can be fatal.
Diagnostics **
- Echocardiogram: Assesses heart structure and function.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): Records heart's electrical activity.
- Blood tests: Check for biomarkers indicating heart damage or failure.
- Cardiac MRI or CT: Provides detailed images of the heart and blood vessels.
Medication
- ACE inhibitors/ARBs: Dilate blood vessels and reduce workload on the heart.
S/S: Often asymptomatic until it becomes severe or causes complications.
Common symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, nosebleeds, and shortness of breath.
Complications: **
- Cardiovascular: Increased risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
- Renal: Kidney damage or failure.
- Neurological: Cognitive impairment or dementia.
- Others: Eye damage, peripheral arterial disease.
Diagnostics:
● Blood Pressure Measurement: Elevated blood pressure readings over multiple visits.
● Lab Tests: Blood tests to check for underlying conditions like diabetes or kidney
disease.
● Imaging: ECG, echocardiogram, or ultrasound to assess heart and vascular health.
Medication: **
Antihypertensives: ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), beta-blockers,
calcium channel blockers, diuretics.
Nursing Care/ Patient Thinking:
Monitoring: Regular blood pressure checks.
Lifestyle Modifications: Encouraging healthy diet (low sodium, rich in fruits and vegetables),
regular exercise, weight management, stress reduction.
Medication Adherence: Educating on the importance of taking medications as prescribed.
Risk Factor Education: Teaching about risk factors like smoking, alcohol, and stress.
Heart Failure
Risk Factors
- Coronary artery disease (CAD): Narrowing of the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart.
- High blood pressure (hypertension): Puts strain on the heart muscle over time.
- Previous heart attack: Damages the heart muscle.
- Diabetes: Increases the risk of developing heart disease.
- Obesity: Can lead to conditions that increase the risk of heart failure.
- Smoking: Damages the heart and blood vessels.
, - Family history: Genetic predisposition to heart disease.
- Age: Older age increases risk.
**Weight Management and Heart Failure
Pathophysiology
● Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump blood effectively to meet the
body's needs.
● Can result from damage to the heart muscle (as in myocardial infarction), chronic
hypertension, or other conditions affecting heart function.
● The heart compensates initially by enlarging, developing more muscle mass, or pumping
faster, but over time these mechanisms can worsen heart function.
Types of HF
Systolic HF: Impaired contraction of the heart muscle.
Diastolic HF: Impaired relaxation and filling of the heart chambers.
Left-sided HF: Inability to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body.
Right-sided HF: Inability to effectively pump blood to the lungs.
S/S
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Swelling (edema) in legs, ankles, or abdomen
Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Persistent cough or wheezing
Complications
- Pulmonary edema: Fluid buildup in the lungs.
- Kidney damage: Reduced blood flow affects kidney function.
- Liver damage: Congestion can affect liver function.
- Arrhythmias: Abnormal heart rhythms.
- Death: Advanced heart failure can be fatal.
Diagnostics **
- Echocardiogram: Assesses heart structure and function.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): Records heart's electrical activity.
- Blood tests: Check for biomarkers indicating heart damage or failure.
- Cardiac MRI or CT: Provides detailed images of the heart and blood vessels.
Medication
- ACE inhibitors/ARBs: Dilate blood vessels and reduce workload on the heart.
