Management of acute heart failure in the emergency department
Rob Fenwick Trainee advanced clinical practitioner, Emergency department, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
Rob Fenwick suggests an alternative to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines for treating patients who have heart failure with pulmonary oedema
Acute heart failure (AHF) is a leading cause of hospital admission in the UK and is associated with significant mortality. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2014) has published guidelines for the management of AHF but, after a clinical event in which a patient’s management differed from that recommended in the guidelines occurred in the author’s emergency department, he conducted a critical analysis of them. This article provides a case study of the clinical event, reviews the treatment methods adopted and explores the rationale for taking a different approach from that recommended in the guidelines. The evidence base for the use of diuretics, nitrates and non-invasive ventilation in the management of patients with AHF is also appraised.
Emergency Nurse.
23, 8, 26-35.
doi: 10.7748/en.23.8.26.s26
Correspondence
robfenwickrn@googlemail.com
Peer review
This article has been subject to double-blind review and has been checked using antiplagiarism software
Conflict of interest
None declared
Received: 16 September 2015
Accepted: 09 November 2015
Already have access? Log in
OR
3-month trial offer for �5.25/month
Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
- Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
- RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
- NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
- Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
- A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe
Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days.
Buy now
Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more