cardiomytopathy

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ok i have a pt who inbitially tested + for the flu but now tests -. they also think he might have pneumonia, WBC are 10.99. No FVR or chills.. but is now in decompensated CHF. they are thinking cardiomyopathy but are unsure of the cause- it could be viral myocarditis, ischemic heart disease, or sepsis...

i am confused.. are they thinking viral cardiomyopathy b/c she tested + for flu a week ago... BUT NOW SHE'S -. sounds like the flu was treated... so why would it still be causing probs? he's really young, but very obese, has HTN & Type II DM. Can this really cause heart failure at such a young age of 30!!?? im lost any input would be great.

also can a pt be on a natrecor gtt for their whole hospital stay or is there a time frame?

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

i understand why you might be trying to get a grasp on the patient's medical diseases. and you can look each one of these different conditions up on various internet sites (https://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/medical-disease-information-258109.html). however, don't get too sidetracked. when it comes to the nursing care we treat the patient's response to their medical diseases and not the medical disease. it is the doctors who treat their disease. this means that we assess the patient and consider what kinds of signs and symptoms they are having. a wbc of 10.99 is a 0.99 elevation from 10.0 of the high norm for a wbc count.

people can develop heart failure because of all kinds of things and at any age. scarlet fever at a young age comes to mind. it damages the valves of the heart and puts young people in chf at a very early age. obesity also puts a great stain on the heart and causes cardiomegaly.

i would trust that the physician knows what he is doing in ordering the continued use of the nesiritide.

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Specializes in CTICU.

Yes, we sometimes get young people with a recent history of viral, "flu" or "flu-like" illness who end up in cardiogenic shock with a severe cardiomyopathy and decompensated heart failure. They are treated with supportive management, up to and including ventilation, inotropes, IABP, VAD. When supported by VAD, we've had good success with recovery after around 3 months. By that, I mean cardiac recovery which permits removal of the VAD.

We don't know why the viral illness induces CM in many cases.

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