Precautions for acute left heart failure in the elderly

Acute left heart failure in the elderly refers to a disease in which the myocardial contractility of the elderly will be significantly reduced to a great extent in a relatively short period of time due to some reasons. At this time, the heart's blessing will obviously increase a lot. The cardiac output of patients with acute left heart failure will be reduced, and the heart pressure will also increase significantly. These are all caused by acute left heart failure.

Whether it is acute left heart failure in the elderly or in people of other age groups, the main symptoms are severe dyspnea and frequent coughing of pink foamy sputum. So, what are the precautions for acute left heart failure in the elderly?

Hypoxia and severe dyspnea during acute left heart failure are fatal threats. The onset is rapid and the condition is severe, requiring urgent emergency treatment. The treatment principles are to quickly correct hypoxia and metabolic disorders; reduce elevated pulmonary capillary hydrostatic pressure; increase left ventricular stroke volume and eliminate the patient's anxiety; remove inducing factors and treat the primary disease, and these measures must be implemented simultaneously.

1. Body position allows the patient to take the most comfortable position, usually sitting with the legs hanging down. This can reduce venous return, reduce pulmonary blood volume by about 25%, and improve vital capacity.

2. Oxygen therapy for patients with acute left heart failure suffer from severe hypoxia, so actively correcting hypoxia and interrupting the vicious cycle are the primary steps in treatment. Once acute left heart failure occurs, oxygen inhalation should be given immediately to improve the hypoxic state.

Mechanical positive pressure breathing and oxygen supply: For unconscious patients, if PaO2 <8.0kPa (60mmHg) after oxygen supply by the above method, endotracheal intubation or tracheotomy should be performed and an artificial ventilator should be used.

Once the elderly suffer from acute left heart failure, the mortality rate is very high. In the 1950s, more than 80% of the elderly suffering from acute left heart failure died within three years, and the vast majority of them died within two years of suffering from acute left heart failure.