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My assigned condition this week is Heart Failure. Heart failure is when cardiac function fails to keep up with the demands of the body. The American Heart Association defines Heart Failure as, “a condition in which the heart muscle can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen” (2025). When the heart is unable to keep up with the demands of the body, the body begins to show signs of the failing heart. Depending on where/how the heart is failing determines the signs and symptoms one might experience. Heart Failure can be classified as ‘Left’ or ‘Right’ sided Heart Failure. The left ventricle pumps oxygenated blood from the lungs to the body, therefore Left sided Heart Failure typically presents as symptoms of respiratory function due to the failing left ventricle of the heart. When the left ventricle is not able to keep up with the fluid volume, fluid will back up into the lungs. This then causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough, adventitious lung sounds, etc. Right sided Heart Failure is when the right ventricle is unable to keep up with the demand of the body. The right ventricle receives deoxygenated blood and pumps it to the lungs for oxygenation. Therefore when the right ventricle is unable to keep up, the fluid has nowhere to go but to back up into the body. This then causes symptoms such as edema in the legs and ascites (Zimlich, 2023). 

For Janessa’s case, Heart Failure could explain her shortness of breath and the weakness that she is experiencing, but it does not explain any of the other symptoms she is dealing with. The shortness of breath could be explained by a failing left ventricle of the heart and the weakness could be due to failure of the heart to keep up with the oxygen demand of the body. To better diagnose Janessa, and to rule out Heart Failure, further testing needs to be done. Lab blood work that I would recommend would be a BNP, CBC, and BMP. These tests would shed some light on her cardiac function and be able to give a better picture of the condition of the heart. A BNP is a test that is a measure of cardiac function, in Janessa’s case I would anticipate this test to come back within normal limits. A CBC and BMP will show me if she has some sort of infection, what her blood is composed of and what her kidneys and electrolyte status are at this time. For Janessa, I would anticipate her CBC would come back showing signs of Anemia, such as low hemoglobin, and her BMP to be normal. Other diagnostic testing to rule out cardiac involvement would include an EKG and a chest xray. For Janessa, I do anticipate these both to come back normal without concern for reduced cardiac function. To fully assure that Janessa is not dealing with early symptoms of Heart Failure, an echocardiogram (echo)  and a Stress Test could also be performed. An echo would show the pumping of the heart and provide more information by measuring her Ejection Fraction or how much blood the heart is able to pump. A stress test would show if the heart is able to keep up with the demand of the body through exercise. Ultimately, I do not think I would need Janessa to perform a stress test or echo because I think her lab work would be revealing of a different issue that would explain more of her symptoms. 

American Heart Association. (2025, May 20). What is heart failure? https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-failure/what-is-heart-failure

Zimlich, R. (2023, August 18). Left- vs. right-sided heart failure: Know the differences. Medicine.net.https://medicine.net/news/CardiovascularDiseases/Left-vs-Right-Sided-Heart-Failure-Know-the-Differences.html

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