Management of acute heart failure in the emergency department
Intended for healthcare professionals
Art & Science Previous     Next

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

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
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