Heart failure

Global core

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome of congestion, low output, or both. A loop diuretic treats fluid. It does not replace the drugs that improve survival when the ejection fraction is reduced. Acute pulmonary edema is an airway and breathing emergency, not a clinic follow-up.

What stays the same

• Pulmonary edema is an airway and breathing emergency.
• A loop diuretic treats fluid. It does not replace disease-modifying treatment when the ejection fraction is reduced.
• Shock, hypoxia, and a reversible trigger come before a clinic letter.

1. Recognize. Breathlessness, orthopnea, edema, a raised neck vein, or a new gallop.
2. Reason. Separate a wet patient from a cold, shocked patient. The ejection fraction changes which long-term drugs are indicated.
3. Prioritize. Hypoxia, shock, and a reversible trigger such as ischemia or arrhythmia come first.
4. Act safely. Support breathing, relieve dangerous congestion, and plan disease-modifying treatment once the patient is stable.

Local adaptation

No sourced local note is attached to this topic. That is not a statement that every country manages it the same way. The shared principle above is what this beta is willing to teach.

Exam lens

The next drug or test in a breathless patient, and what must not be given in shock.