Heart failure nursing diagnosis

Nursing Students Student Assist

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I was hoping some of you could give me some input...I have a paper to write on heart failure. It's asking for 3 priority nursing diagnosis...I've already chosen 3 that I think are of priority, but would like to see what others will come up with.

Thank you in advance.

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Do you have a particular patient or case study to write about? Generally, nursing diagnosis occurs with your patient assessment data in mind.

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Do you have a particular patient or case study to write about? Generally, nursing diagnosis occurs with your patient assessment data in mind.

Nope, no particulat patient, and no assessment data. I'm assumed heart failure in general and the 3 priority diagnosis.

Any suggestions?

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Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.

Post what you have come up with, and let's take it from there.

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Specializes in LTC, Medicare visits.

Without knowing the patient and their specfic details, in my experience

1. Decreased Cardiac Output

2. Activity intolerance

3. Altered cardiopulmonary tissue perfusion

4. Fluid volume excess

5. Constipation

There are many more like self care deficits due to fatigue, ineffective individual coping r/t change in health condition, etc.

As the previous poster stated, your care plan needs to be individualized for that patient ( client centered). Your assessment of a patient will guide you to problems THE PATIENT is having, not what we THINK should be happening. It took me a long time to remember that in order to write care plans for the patient that was effective.

Hope that helps.:redbeathe

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

i wish you had posted this in the nursing student assistance forum where i would have seen it sooner. nurses base their nursing diagnoses on

  • most importantly
    • a physical assessment of the patient
    • assessment of the patient's ability and any assistance they need to accomplish their adls (activities of daily living)

    [*]data that they collect from the medical record (information in the doctor's history and physical, information in the doctor's progress notes, test result information, notes by ancillary healthcare providers such as physical therapists and dietitians

    [*]knowing the pathophysiology, signs/symptoms, usual tests ordered, and medical treatment for the medical disease or condition that the patient has. this includes knowing about any medical procedures that have been performed on the patient, their expected consequences during the healing phase, and potential complications. if this information is not known, then you need to research and find it.

with a case study of a hypothetical patient like this, you take the medical diagnosis of heart failure and research it. this is a kind of complex disease as heart failure proceeds in a step-by-step fashion through a number of phases. you want to learn about it's

  • pathophysiology - needed for the related factors (etiologies) of the nursing diagnoses
  • signs/symptoms - needed to identify nursing diagnoses and develop goals and nursing interventions
  • usual tests ordered - to know how to prepare and/or teach the patient as well as how to properly collect any required specimens
  • medical treatment - to prepare and teach the patient

so, these three diagnoses you have come up with must be based on symptoms of heart failure that you have learned of.

for information on writing care plans see this sticky thread:

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Specializes in long-term-care, LTAC, PCU.

Decreased cardiac output related to excess fluid volume or decreased pumping ability of the heart

Impaired gas exchange related to excess fluid/secretions in the lungs

Activity intolerance related to decreased oxygenation of the heart

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Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.
I wish you had posted this in the Nursing Student Assistance Forum where I would have seen it sooner.

Good point, Daytonite. Will move thread to Nursing Student Assistance forum.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
Decreased cardiac output related to excess fluid volume or decreased pumping ability of the heart

Impaired gas exchange related to excess fluid/secretions in the lungs

Activity intolerance related to decreased oxygenation of the heart

I know you are trying to be helpful here, but you really need to use a nursing diagnosis reference when attaching related factors to nursing diagnoses. This is also why an understanding of the pathophysiology of a disease is needed as well as an understanding of the construction of the diagnostic statement. Excess fluid volume has its own nursing diagnosis so shouldn't be used as a related factor in another nursing diagnosis. Decreased oxygenation of the heart (ineffective tissue perfusion of the heart only) is part of the definition of the decreased cardiac output nursing diagnosis so it shouldn't be used for activity intolerance which has to do with endurance not perfusion.

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