Heart failure
• priorities for cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Airway, Breathing and Circulation
• sympathomimetics are often used for acute heart failure in intensive care situations. They must be given by intravenous infusion and effects must be monitored.
• congestive heart failure is treated with diuretics, vasodilators, inotropes and possibly antiarrhythmics
commonly used drugs

CPR & acute HF
adrenaline

CHF
frusemide
benazepril
digoxin

Heart failure

Heart disease is common in all species but is usually only treated in dogs, cats and horses. The pattern of disease seen does not reflect the incidence in animals; most cases of cardiac arrest (and probably acute heart failure) which occur outside the clinic will die. Acute heart failure ± cardiac arrest commonly follow poor anaesthesia - it can be embarassing to take in a healthy animal and give it back to the owner in a black plastic bag.

Types of heart failure

cardiac arrest

CPR

acute heart failure

chronic heart failure (usually presents as congestive heart failure)

The treatment of these is different, although chronic heart failure can (and finally does) progess to acute heart failure then cardiac arrest. The treatment of CHF is likely to change in the future!

Drugs

positive inotropes

sympathomimetics
phosphodiesterase inhibitors
cardiac glycosides

vasodilators

ACE inhibitors
other vasodilators

antiarrhythmics

diuretics

Heart failure lecture