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With congestive heart failure (CHF), a long-term consequence of this disease is the reduced quality of life. Those with CHF tend to have difficulty walking and climbing stairs. Household chores and work are difficult to manage along with depression, anxiety, and the fear of dying. These symptoms can be attributed to the patient's poor psychosocial status where the emotional distress limits their physical and social activities.

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We chose to do the studies on congestive heart failure due to the increasing amount of people that are being affected in the United States. Additionally, with being more educated on the topic, it will bring more awareness to those who might not even know if they are at risk of getting heart failure.

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This condition is caused by fluid build-up in the lungs that is brought on by the heart's inability to pump blood effectively (CHF). This manifests into shortness of breath, which worsens over time as CHF progresses.

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Congestive Heart Failure generally begins to occur due to the lack of blood that is being pumped. Since the blood is being backed up, that then causes the heart to weaken. Therefore, resulting in fluid being pushed through the capillary walls which then leads other organs to begin failing.

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The overburdened heart has natriuretic peptides BNP and ANP released to help relieve muscle stress. A high concentration of these peptides results in a high concentration of neprilysin (an enzyme to break it down). Neprilysin unintentionally interacts with angiotensin receptor blockers and increases angiotensin II levels which leads to significant angioedema.

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When the heart can't keep up with the increased demand of the body the left ventricle can become weaker leading to systolic heart failure. Systolic heart failure occurs when the left ventricle become too weak and can't pump the oxygen rich blood throughout the body which can cause coughing, shortness of breath and even weight gain.

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Edema (swelling in the legs/ankles/feet)

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Edema (swelling in the legs/ankles/feet)

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Edema is caused by the buildup of fluid in the tissues. Edema due to congestive heart failure (CHF) is caused when the heart muscle is not working properly enough to pump blood well. As a result, blood can back up in the legs, ankles, and feet causing edema.

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A discomfort where tightness,crushing or squeezing sensations can begin to occur near the chest area that can spread to other parts of the upper body.

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A common symptom of congestive heart failure is weight gain, though it may not be an immedient cause for concern weight gain is fairly common for those suffering from congestive heart failure.

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One major cause of congestive heart failure is heart palpitations. These feel like your heart is missing heartbeats, racing or pounding. You can feel palpitations in your chest, throat, or neck. Specifically, heart palpitations originating from congestive heart failure are bad because they persist longer and can lead your heart to have irregular beat patterns.

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A very common way most people help treat congestive heart failure is by having a low sodium diet, eating healthier and having a more balanced diet can improve patient's condition with congestive heart failure. So, avoiding greasy and fried foods may be in your best interest if you are suffering from congestive heart failure.

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A healthcare provider will be looking for signs of congestive heart failure and diseases that may have been the cause for the weakness or stiffness in the heart. Evaluation of organs basic functions, addressing concerns, and any vaccinations that need to be updated will occur during the exam as well.

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An echocardiogram is a machine that uses sound waves to create a picture of the heart, specifically showing the heart valves. Doctors examine patients, and if their hearts look stiff or weak, they then use ejection fraction to see how much blood is pumping into and out of their hearts. If this number is irregular congestive heart failure is diagnosed.

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With CHF, the lack of effective blood pumping can lead to fluid build-up in the lungs known as pulmonary edema which can lead to shortness of breath. Therefore, Diuretics, also known as water pills, can treat CHF by helping the body get rid of excess fluid in the lungs and heart.

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One long-term consequence of congestive heart failure is kidney failure. As your heart fails to pump blood, the kidney doesn't receive blood which damages the kidney's blood vessels. After the vessels have been damaged the kidney can't get rid of the waste it filters slowly killing off the cells from the waste. This constant damaging of the cells results in kidney failure over time.

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With congestive heart failure it results the lack of blood that it pumps, which can then lead to having cardiac arrest. This can then begin to occur abruptly causing someone that experiences this to be at risk of it occurring during their daily life activities or resulting to deaths which begins to negatively impact their way of living to them living in fear.

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With having congestive heart failure, it is recommended that you consume less sodium-based foods or ingredients that have sodium in them. This can help manage your CHF, but this can also lead to other complications such as thyroid disease. One common cause for thyroid disease is having an iodine deficiency, which can prove to be a challenge when you want to cut back on sodium-based foods/ingredients. iodized table salt is a very common ingredient used in various recipes that help people get enough iodine in their diet but when avoiding things like iodized table salt this can lead to thyroid disease.

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On a scale of 1-5, the likelihood of this treatment being fully covered is about a four. Most insurance plans and Medicare can cover it. The long-term consequence of not taking beta blockers for CHF could lead to heart attacks, loss of quality of life, or even death.

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The expected cost of beta-blockers ( specifically metoprolol beta-blockers) for treating congestive heart failure is between $10 and $30 per month without insurance.

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Some severe cases of congestive heart failure require more advanced long term treatments like a heart transplant. Based on 2020 data, the average heart transplant cost around 1.7 million dollars; including every fee from pre- to post- op. Insurance usually covers heart related issues but a lot of them won't cover the full 100%. Usually it will cover up to 90% of the treatment which ends up still being $160,000 which is not usually openly available to many people. But in these severe cases the patient either needs to get this operation or they won't live much longer.

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and modifying negative thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. This helps individuals develop healthier coping strategies and adapt to emotional and behavioral changes brought upon congestive heart failure such as depression. CBT can help individuals with CHF manage depression and anxiety by addressing negative thought patterns and teaching coping strategies. It focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that contribute to emotional distress. For example, CBT can help reduce the constant fear of cardiac arrest and build up good habits to reduce side effects. A licensed clinical psychologist or therapist trained in CBT is required to deliver this treatement.

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With congestive heart failure, that comes a lot with anxiety and stress that can lead to limiting their quality of life and things they enjoy doing. The treatments of exercise and cardiac rehab have been known to be a source of help for these issues.  Cardiac Rehab is done when one wants to improve any heart conditions or wants to prevent them from worsening. The type of professionals to help with this would be cardiologists and mental health professionals.

Exercise is another treatment that could helps by strengthening their heart and clearing arteries which can lead to them being more available to doing more active day to day activities since it helps their health leading a decrease in stress and anxiety as well. The type of professionals would be physical therapist and personal trainers.

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One occupational rehabilitation treatment would be education treatment, where they teach patients how to recognize the signs of fatigue and shortness of breath and manage the symptoms. This treatment allows them to learn self-management, energy conservation, and work simplification techniques so the short-term symptoms of lack of motivation to become mitigated once they are educated about their health condition. Long-term, their sense of independence and the lifestyle changes that come with this treatment will allow individuals to prevent relapse and improve their quality of life. An occupational therapist will be able to treat individuals with congestive heart failure through education.

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People affected by CHF need breathing retraining when their lungs fill with fluid. In response, they change their normal breathing pattern, and after getting it pumped out, they keep their poor breathing pattern—some techniques such as pursed-lip breathing or diaphragmatic breathing are used to alleviate the shortness of breath the patients experience. The professionals that would deliver this treatment would be respiratory or physical therapists.

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Quitting smoking is a good lifestyle change for CHF patients. Nicotine from tobacco smoke increases heart rate and blood pressure for a short time. Carbon monoxide also gets in the blood and robs your heart and brain of needed oxygen. Taking this out of a person's lifestyle can significantly help with CHF; the problem is that nicotine is an addictive chemical and can be hard for a person to quit cold turkey. Depending on how long the person has been smoking, it can be around an 8/10 to try and make this change in their lifestyle. An addiction counselor can reduce this number and would be the appropriate person to help with this.

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For congestive heart failure, dietary modifications can significantly improve the symptoms of the disease. With dietary changes such as a more heart-healthy diet, sodium intake can be substantially reduced, which can help prevent the fluid retention seen in congestive heart failure. For this type of personalized medicine, the scale of how hard it might be for a person to make the change is about four out of 10. Diet preferences vary on both socioeconomic and biological factors, such as certain tastes and the cost of food/accessibility to healthier options. A dietitian/nutritionist can assist in creating a heart-healthy diet.

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Getting a biventricular pacemaker is one of the treatments recommended for people with CHF. It helps keep the heartbeat synchronized to make sure the heart is beating properly. The average cost of treatment is around 50,000/QALY and the likely hood of insurance covering this treatment on a scale of 1-5 is a 3. If the patient isn't able to afford the treatment or neglects to have it preformed it can lead to blood being stuck in the heart which can lead to death

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While several special populations may be affected by congestive heart failure (CHF), we see that geriatric populations are at a greater risk of CHF. Their body’s ability to compensate for their heart health decreases with age so CHS affects them differently than those that are younger. Special challenges that they may face are age-related cardiovascular changes that begin to occur as individuals age. They also may begin to become noncompliant when receiving care due to not being able to understand what is being said to them

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Although many people may be affected by congestive heart failure, pregnant women are a particular population that faces many unique challenges. While pregnant with congestive heart failure many mothers many need to adjust or completely change some of their treatment methods. This is particularly important when concerning the medications involving CHF as they can be toxic to the fetus. Other treatment methods can also inhibit the baby's growth and cause problems.

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Avoidance of Substance Use (Smoking and Alcohol)

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Avoidance of Substance Use (Smoking and Alcohol)

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Preventing congestive heart failure (CHF) can be achieved by avoiding smoking/tobacco products and excessive alcohol. Quitting smoking reduces plaque buildup in blood vessels and helps preserve heart function. Limiting alcohol use also helps prevent the weakening of the heart muscle, which can lead to congestive heart failure. A lot of people with CHF find it difficult to drop smoking and drinking habits until it is too late. Even when they know the risk, breaking the habit is easier said than done for a lot of people. Also, several socioeconomic factors would inhibit their ability to manage the condition and adhere to this healthier lifestyle.

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Congestive heart failure includes factors of having diabetes and high blood pressure. With the management of these conditions with the use of regularing knowing what medications to use and keeping a constant check up with their healthcare providers can limit ones possibilities of getting CHF or if it is already acquired it can be regularly monitored so the condition itself does not become worse. Some challenges that can be faced are obtaining affordable healthcare, affordable medication, and the actual change that has to face due to the transitions of getting used to something and then having to change it. This may be hard for a lot of people since having a lower socioeconomic status or restricted access to healthcare plays a major role in whether one is able to keep up with their medical providers on one's health or if they even have one to begin with.

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A technology that can help prevent, diagnose, or treat congestive heart failure (CHF) is an echocardiogram. This is an specialized ultrasound technique that analyzes the heart’s size, how it is functioning, and how it is structured to track the heart’s pumping efficiency and provides early detection while being non-invasive. Some negative aspects to echocardiograms can result in heart attacks, strokes, or being at low risk for bleeding. However, the risks associated with this technology are generally low.

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An ICD is a small battery-powered device placed in the chest. It detects and stops irregular heartbeats, also called arrhythmias. These arrhythmias occur in patients with congestive heart failure, so an ICD provides a good treatment option for one of the main side effects of CHF, considering this complication doesn't go away. A negative side effect to this ICD is that it is placed under the skin, so there will always be a larger bump under your left airmpit. Also, the ICD might fail.

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To reduce the prevalence of congestive heart failure (CHF), a public health initiative such as health education campaigns that promote healthier lifestyle choices, such as a heart-healthy diet, regular exercise, and avoiding smoking, would stress the importance of heart health very early on. This intervention would target the youth about different causes of heart disease and the importance of maintaining health, such as early screening, to take care of themselves for the future. These public health efforts aim to reduce the prevalence of CHF cases by preventing causes early and can improve outcomes for those already affected. A possible challenge to these health class interventions would be funding speakers or schools that would allow them to educate the students, and the struggle of retention for that education to make sure that students take that information throughout their teen and adult years.
Additionally, having health education interventions to give the public knowledge on how smoking could cause their condition to worsen, following programs regarding exercise, and also counseling and support classes to be able to get ideas on how to make changes in one's lifestyle and finding ways that fit for one to be successful in those changes. A challenge that has occurred with this is behavior change, since changing one's lifestyle can be a struggle for a lot of people.

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One of the most effective ways to help manage congestive heart failure is maintaining a consistent and manageable workout regimen. Maintaining your physical help greatly reduces the risk of congestive heart failure and can help those who have the condition better prosper in life enjoying more that it has to offer. This is supported by facilities like gyms and exercise groups that support physical wellness and fitness. These facilities help promote these resources not to just singular individuals but groups as well by giving discounts or referral programs to better support the spread of physical wellness. Physical activity isn't just promoted by gym but also healthcare providers. Its commonly stated by healthcare providers that exercise can help benefit individuals struggling with various issue, congestive heart failure being one of them. Some challenges that some people might face is that it is still ultimately up to the individual if they follow these groups and take advantage of the resources.