Heart failure education

CN : So, what do you know about heart failure care ?

RN : It’s that after the usual medical care, the person should generally undergo patient education, and change life style.

CN : Can you be more specific on that ?

RN : Post-op measures should be taken to limit decompensation and avoid rehospitalization. The patient must first be told that otherwise his heart will be incapable of providing enough blood for the metabolic functions, which could be life threatening.

CN : Yes, and in this sense, the nurse plays an active role in the management of the patient’s illness. Do you know what this might be about ?

RN : First of all, we talk about the observance of medicine intake, to which other treatments to comorbid illnesses are associated. Consequently, the patient must be scrupulous as to his prescription.

CN : And what should we tell the patient exactly about this adherence to therapy ?

RN : The most important thing is that patient should never stop the background treatment. They often seem unaware of the chronicity of their pathology and the fact of the life-long medicine they should take in order to stabilize their cardiac function.

CN : So, what do you know about heart failure care ?

RN : The risk is the potential serious cardiac decompensation if they suddenly stop their treatment. But can we be yet more specific again ?

CN : In simple terms, patients should know that the treatment has an anti-hypertensive effect that aims at stabilizing blood pressure so that the heart would exert less effort, even if they would suffer from some side effects that they might not be able to cope with at first. And what are the factors that trigger cardiac decompensation then ?

RN : Mainly diet non-observance, infections, mostly pulmonary, hypertensive flare, myocardial ischemia, anemia, exacerbation of renal dysfunction, pulmonary embolus, and, for women, pregnancy, and some other factors related to cardiac disorders.

CN : And are there any non-pharmaceutical measures that patients should comply with ?

RN : Of course. They should adopt a healthy lifestyle and diet, namely, they should have at least a 30-minute physical activity practice, like walking, or bike riding, three times per week, and adapt the intensity from moderate to brisk if possible, so as to enhance metabolism and improve organ function. Also, it is very important to adapt one’s diet, that is to cut down on salt, and favor home-made dishes poor in sodium, and use condiments and culinary herbs instead. As for hydration, patients should drink about 1,5 liter of water daily. Adding to that, it goes without saying, stop alcohol consumption and quit smoking. Finally, patients should watch their weight daily, under the same conditions, that is on waking up after micturition and before breakfast, and jot this down in a dedicated notebook.

CN : And I should add distant follow-up for the interpretation of clinical signs transmitted by the patient, the prescription, the biological exams interpretation, and the adaptation of the posology.