alterations in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems
1 ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Students Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Title
Professor’s Name
Date
This study source was downloaded by 100000784551390 from CourseHero.com on 06-20-2023 10:42:04 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/125535242/NURS6501-N-WEEK-4-ASSIGNMENTdocx/
2 ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Case Scenario
76-year-old female patient complains of weight gain, shortness of breath, peripheral
edema, and abdominal swelling. She has a history of congestive heart failure and admits
to not taking her diuretic, as it makes her “have to get up every couple hours to go to the
bathroom.” She now must sleep on two pillows in order to get enough air.
Introduction
Congestive heart failure is a chronic and progressive disease that influences the
ability of heart muscles to pump blood within the heart. Blood pumping becomes
ineffective after the buildup of fluid in the heart. This paper explores a congestive heart
failure patient, presenting both cardiovascular as well as cardiopulmonary
pathophysiologic processes leading to the patient's symptoms, the influence of ethnicity
and racial variables, and the interaction of processes affecting the patient on the above
scenario.
Cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary pathophysiologic processes
The patient in the above scenario presents with symptoms such as abdominal
swelling, weight gain, and peripheral edema history. Since the patient has a history of
cognitive heart failure, the above symptoms might be occurring due to cognitive heart
failure. It is important to understand that abdominal swelling and peripheral are caused
by heart failure (McCance, &Huether, 2019). Cognitive heart failure is the major
cardiovascular process that results in the patient presenting the above symptoms.
This study source was downloaded by 100000784551390 from CourseHero.com on 06-20-2023 10:42:04 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/125535242/NURS6501-N-WEEK-4-ASSIGNMENTdocx/
3 ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Cognitive heart failure makes the heart weak, thus failing to pump blood within the body.
This causes blooding clotting in front of the heart.
The patient admitted that she does not take diuretics since they made her get up
every few hours to go to the bathroom. "Diuretics are the mainstay pharmacological
therapy which reduces preload in patient with cognitive heart failure and their
medications inhibit water reabsorption from the tubules which consequently increases the
volume and loss of water in the urine" (Josep Comín-Colet et al., 2020). Due to the heart
damage, the patient presented symptoms of muscular heart efficiency. In systole
dysfunction, the stroke volume is reduced, thus making the heart muscle enhance end-
systolic volume. When there is a reduction in fibers myosin during the process of heart
relaxation as well as contractions, the heart's contractility is lost (Carter et al., 2019).
Racial/ethnic variables
African Americans have higher chances of being affected by heart failure
conditions compared to white Americans. Also, compared to ethnic groups, they register
more deaths due to cognitive heart failure (Tillman et al., 2019). It is estimated that
around fifty percent of African Americans are affected by cognitive heart failure, where
hypertension is considered is the major contributing factor (Josep Comín-Colet et al.,
2020). Sodium sensitivities, rennin activities (relatively low), as well as low nitric oxide
production are mostly found in the pathophysiology of hypertension in African
Americans. Some other conditions include limited care access, genetics, kidney diseases,
and reduced compliance to medications.
This study source was downloaded by 100000784551390 from CourseHero.com on 06-20-2023 10:42:04 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/125535242/NURS6501-N-WEEK-4-ASSIGNMENTdocx/
4 ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Processes interaction
When both functional and structural changes occur on the hearts of clients
diagnosed with cardiovascular heart failure, they interact, resulting in the rise of disease
conditions. The stroke volume occurs in a patient with cardiovascular heart failure due to
a compensatory increase in blood volume, which improves the ventricular preload.
"Aorta baroreceptors and stretch receptors are also stimulated by decreases in blood
pressure which the results in stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system" (Inamdar &
Inamdar, 2016). Cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary pathophysiologic processes cause
renal perfusions, which reduce, thus affecting output and retention of urine inpatient.
Reduction of blood flow in the kidney causes the release of renin as well as angiotensin.
Also, it leads to fluid and sodium retention, especially when the condition continues, thus
increasing blood volume circulation.
Conclusion
Cardiovascular heart failure influences the ability of blood pumping by heart
muscles, and it results in specific symptoms like in the above case. Diuretics play an
essential role in treating heart failure and high blood pressure conditions. However, a lack
of close observance can cause damages to the heart. In conclusion, African Americans are
most affected by heart failure, with high blood pressure being the leading cause. Due to
changes in the normal functioning of the heart, the conditions of disease increase.
This study source was downloaded by 100000784551390 from CourseHero.com on 06-20-2023 10:42:04 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/125535242/NURS6501-N-WEEK-4-ASSIGNMENTdocx/
5 ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
References
Carter, P., Lagan, J., Fortune, C., Bhatt, D. L., Vestbo, J., Niven, R., Chaudhuri, N.,
Schelbert, E. B., Potluri, R., & Miller, C. A. (2019). Association of
Cardiovascular Disease With Respiratory. Disease. Journal of the American
College of Cardiology (JACC), 73(17), 2166–2177. https://doi-
org/10.1016/j.jacc.2018.11.063
Inamdar, A. A., & Inamdar, A. C. (2016). Heart failure: diagnosis, management and
utilization. Journal of clinical medicine, 5(7),
62 ; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm5070062
Josep Comín-Colet, Teresa Martín Lorenzo, Almudena González-Domínguez, Juan
Oliva, & Silvia Jiménez Merino. (2020). Impact of non-cardiovascular comorbidities on
the quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure: a scoping review.
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 18(1), 1–13. https://doi-
org/10.1186/s12955-020-01566-y
McCance, K. L. & Huether, S. E. (2019). Pathophysiology: The biologic basis for disease
in adults and children (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby/Elsevier.
Tillman, F., Kim, J., Makhlouf, T., & Osae, L. (2019). A comprehensive review of
chronic heart failure pharmacotherapy treatment approaches in African
Americans. Therapeutic advances in cardiovascular disease, 13,
1753944719840192. https://doi.org/10.1177/1753944719840192
This study source was downloaded by 100000784551390 from CourseHero.com on 06-20-2023 10:42:04 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/125535242/NURS6501-N-WEEK-4-ASSIGNMENTdocx/Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)