Case Scenario (Case Study Sample)

Case Scenario Student’s Name Professor’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Code Date Case Scenario There are two categories of heart failure; systolic and diastolic. In the occurrence of “systolic heart failure”, the heart has a difficulty in pumping enough blood to the body due to lack of adequate contraction during heartbeats. Systolic heart failure can be considered to be the final manifestation of other heart conditions (Banner Health, n.d.). Also referred to as “heart failure with reduced ejection fraction” (HFrEF), this his heart failure is caused when the heart muscles are damaged from high blood pressure or heart attacks. Diastolic heart failure on the other hand, occurs when the heart cannot relax normally between heartbeats (Banner Health, n.d.). This happens because the left heart ventricle stiffens and fails to relax. Diastolic heart failure causes the heart to pump less blood because the heart does not fill up before a beat due to the unrelaxed heart muscles. It is caused by obesity, blood pressure, or diabetes. From the physical exam conducted by the NP, it is evident that the patient has systolic heart failure. A healthy heart that pumps enough blood is considered normal and has an ejection fraction (EF) that lies between 50 and 70 (Banner Health, n.d.). For a condition to be signaled as systolic heart failure, one has to have an EF below 40, like in the case scenario where the patient has an EF of 25. Additionally, the patient has common signs and symptoms of systolic heart failure. One is dyspnea. Because of the heart’s failure to pump enough blood, the body becomes deprived of the required oxygen levels. As a result, breath is shortened. This causes the person’s lungs to be filled with fluid that makes it difficult for them to breathe. Also, the heart's failure to pump enough blood causes fatigue, another symptom. As a result, a person's activities reduce. From the patient's symptoms, he stopped going for walks with his friends because of shortness of breath and reduced activity. The pathophysiology of “systolic heart failure” begins when the “left ventricle” muscles are damaged thereby weakening the heart and as a result making it difficult to pump blood adequately. Because of this, the level of oxygenated blood reaching the body becomes limited leading to jugular vein distension, dyspnea on exertion, and pitting edema. Because the body lacks sufficient oxygen, the lungs are later filled with fluid that makes it difficult for a person to breathe. Lack of enough oxygen in body tissues causes fluid to accumulate in the legs and feet, resulting in pitting edema. It reduces cardiac output and causes reduced metabolic vasodilation in skeletal muscle circulation (Katz, 2018). Insufficient strength...