Patient/caregiver was instructed upon pathophysiology of congestive heart failure as follows:
- Contraction of heart helps with pumping the blood into the circulation, to be distributed to the end organs.
- In patients with history of heart failure, contractions of the heart are weak and heart is unable to pump blood into the circulation.
- This contributes to fluid backing up in the chambers of the heart, in the lungs, and extremities, thus leading to pulmonary and peripheral edema.
- As the heart failure worsens, patients present with exacerbation of shortness of breath and progressively compromised blood supply and oxygen delivery to end organs.
- Reduced blood supply to end organs can result in complications such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and renal failure.
