In ten pages congestive heart failure is defined with patient education, etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment explored in detail. Seven sources are cited in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: CC6_KSnursHrtFail.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Failure (CHF) has been recognized for decades, and formerly was less common than it is today. A condition most common in those over the age of 70, its increasing
frequency is linked to increasing life expectancy. Also known as cardiac failure, CHF is one of the most common causes of in-hospital deaths
among cardiac patients. It can exist alone or in conjunction with another cardiac condition, particularly acute myocardial infarction. It is a condition of men more than women, and
men die at greater rates from it as well. The five-year mortality rate among men is 60 percent, among women 45 percent (Almazan, McFarland and Sanders). More than
fifty percent of those showing overt symptoms die within a year. At present, CHF affects "an estimated 4.7 million Americans (2.3 million males
and 2.4 million females). Approximately 550,000 new cases of CHF appear per year ... Because of its high prevalence and associated medical resource consumption, CHF will be the most costly
cardiovascular disorder and health care problem for the next century" (Farmer and Torre, 2001). Definition Almazan, McFarland and Sanders explain that the hearts
primary function is to "pump blood coming into the ventricles from the lower pressure venous system against the higher pressure arterial system. Impairment of this pumping ability results in inadequate
emptying at the venous side and inadequate blood delivery to the pulmonary and systemic circulation, hence heart failure." Several authors (Farmer and Torre,
2001; Almazan, McFarland and Sanders; Sisk, 2002) report that CHF is difficult to define because of the many forms it can take. Ultimately referring to the hearts inability to