Managing heart failure: a case study approach

Heart failure is a common reason for admission to the hospital and to critical care units. The care of patients with heart failure is changing almost daily as new research and therapies become available. Nurses caring for these patients must use available information and assessment findings to discern which type of heart failure exists in each patient. In this way, the care provided can be enhanced, and outcomes can be optimized. Critically thinking nurses can positively influence patients' quality of life and potentially reduce the devastating morbidity and mortality associated with heart failure.