What are the symptoms of heart failure?
Heart
Failure
Q. What are the symptoms of heart failure?
A. There are various symptoms by which the failure of the heart to do its duty is indicated. One
of the most common is shortness of the breath. It is one of the duties
of the heart to pump the blood through the
lungs for purification. When the heart is
not able to pass the blood through the lungs rapidly enough to keep the blood free from carbon
dioxide, this poison accumulates in
the blood and shortness of breath is the
result.
Another common symptom
is swelling of the feet. Swelling of the
feet is generally an indication either that
the heart is weak
or that the kidneys are diseased. Both
conditions may exist at the same time.
Still another indication of
weakness of the heart is blueness of the lips. This symptom indicates that the blood is not being circulated fast enough
to keep it free from carbon dioxide. That is,
the blood in the
arteries instead of being of the
natural scarlet color differs little from that of
the veins because of
the lack of oxygen.
Still another and a
very important indication of heart failure is increase
in the pulse rate. When there is found to be
a progressive increase from day to day in
the rate of the heartbeat, the significance is
that the heart is becoming progressively weaker and
weaker. Suppose for
example, the rate of the pulse today is 75, tomorrow
78, next day 80, the following day85, a day
or two later 90, some days later 110, at
the end of two or three
weeks, 130 or 140. The indication is very
certain that the patient is suffering from progressive
and increasing weakness of the heart which will finally result in heart failure. An intelligent nurse or a wise
physician will, of course, note the
significance of this symptom and will
take measures to
arrest the progress of the disease which is
causing the heart weakness.
One of the most efficient means of strengthening
the heart is the cold compress over the heart or
even an ice bag. If an ice bag is used it
should be protected with one thickness of
flannel to avoid excessive chilling of
the skin. The cold application should be removed at least once
in twenty minutes. It may be reapplied after an
interval of five minutes. The purpose is to
give the skin a chance to react. Reaction
may be encouraged by rubbing the skin
with the hand so
as to restore the warmth of the part. By this means the nerves are kept
active and
so the reflex effect through which the good result is produced may be maintained for an indefinite time.
Short cold rubbing baths, deep
breathing and massage are other means of
aiding the weakened heart and combating heart failure.
Ordinary fainting is a condition of heart failure.
This condition is most successfully combated by the application of cold over
the front of the chest. Percussion over the heart is also beneficial.
Application of cold to the face, in fact to any part of the body, is also
helpful. To produce the strongest effects, a cold application may be made to
the whole surface of the body.