Chronic heart failure part 2: treatment and management
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Chronic heart failure part 2: treatment and management

Rebecca Brake Advanced nurse practitioner in cardiology, Mid Cheshire NHS Foundation Trust, Cheshire, England
Ian David Jones Professor of cardiovascular nursing, School of Nursing and Allied Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, England

Chronic heart failure is a common and complex clinical syndrome that results from impaired cardiac relaxation or contraction. There have been considerable advances in the management of chronic heart failure; however, the mortality rate remains high. Patients with chronic heart failure may experience multiple debilitating symptoms, such as fatigue, pain, and peripheral oedema. However, breathlessness may be considered the most debilitating symptom. The management of chronic heart failure aims to improve the patient’s quality of life by reducing symptoms and supporting the patient to manage their condition. Treatment of patients with chronic heart failure may involve a combination of pharmacological therapy, device implantation and cardiac rehabilitation. This is the second of two articles on chronic heart failure. Part 1 discussed the pathophysiology of chronic heart failure, its causes, assessment, signs and symptoms. Part 2 outlines the treatment and management of patients with the condition, including pharmacological strategies, device implantation, lifestyle modification, cardiac rehabilitation and palliative care.

Nursing Standard. 31, 20, 53-63. doi: 10.7748/ns.2017.e10762

Correspondence

i.d.jones@ljmu.ac.uk@Profianjones

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Conflict of interest

None declared

Received: 19 November 2015

Accepted: 20 May 2016

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