Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (ADHF)

Evaluating tyhe patient at the bedside with the following criteria in mind will help you assess the patients’ symptoms.

Dyspnea Evaluation
*Patient reports shortness of breath at rest
*patient cannot count to fifteen without more thatn 3 breaths
*patient cannot walk to the bathroom and back without becoming short of breath

Signs of Volume Overload
*patient has had no weight loss since arrival in the hospital
*patient cannot lie flat; requires extra pillows or inclined bed to rest.
*patient has evidence of peripheralk edema

Additional Consideration
*Patient requires supplemental oxygen
*Improve symptoms, especially congestion and low-output symptoms
*Identify etiology
*Identify precipitatign factors
*Optimize chonic oral therapy
*Minimize Side-effects
*Identify patients who might benefit from revascularization
*educate patients concerning medications and self assessment of Heart Failure
*Consider and where possible initiate a disease management program.

If the patient or individual meets any of these criteria, consult your prescribing clinician about need for additional therapy.

from AAHFN(American Association of Heart Failure Nurses)