Nearly 6 million Americans have congestive heart failure (CHF) costing the healthcare system an astonishing $34.4 billion dollars each year. About half of individuals diagnosed with heart failure die within 5 years of diagnosis. Nurse practitioners must be prepared to diagnose and treat CHF as early diagnosis and treatment improves quality of life and increases life expectancy for people with heart failure.
In individuals suffering from heart failure, cardiac output is insufficient to meet the needs of the body. This results in fluid congestion as the heart is not able to output enough blood volume to meet venous return.