Conjestive Heart Disease...?

[AndyMan 7]

Anyone know anything about it?

My boss for years has been in absolutely terrible shape. For the two and a half years I've known him, he's suffered shortness of breath, inability to perform basic movements, and exerted himself doing the simplest of tasks. He's never been able to stand up from a chair withouth leaning heavily on the arm wrests, for example.

After putting up with these symptoms for literally years, today he finally goes to see his doctor, who instantly calls an ambulance and sends him to the ER.

One of my friends who's sitting with him now, reports his resting heart rate has been consistently at 180 ever since they arived at the hospital - a good 3 hours ago.

I don't know any other specifics other then the heart rate number - and to me, that sounds ludicrously high, and suggests a very serious stage of heart disease.

Anyone know anything about this? Is a heart rate this high associated with only very serious cases, or is this a symptom of earlier forms of the disease?

I know that anxiety can push up the heart rate, but for this long...?

_Am

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[TomAiello 26]

Try looking here.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[AndyMan 7]

Yeah, saw that. I also browsed www.americanheart.org.

I only saw high level symptoms, and the articles didn't tend to go into specifics about severity related to heart rate.

I imagine it's not good, but am wondering how bad...?

_Am

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[skygal3 0]

There are many causes of tachycardia, not always congestive heart failure itself, some very dangerous others not so dangerous..thinking back here off the top of my head, if the rhythm comes from the from the atria I believe it is less dangerous than ventricular which worse case scenerio could lead to death..a really good site for more info is below. Tachycardia/bradycardia can be caused by many different conditions, it is important at this point I think for an echocardiogram to be done to make sure after enduring this for years he has not had any physical damage done to his heart. (and it is preyty cool really--when I had mine done the nice nurse gave me a warm towel to cover my boobies. The jelly kinda stung though. )He will also most likely have to wear an event monitor. The good thing about those is that they go off automatically when the heartbeat raises to a dangerous level.
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/cardio/wwwboard.html
more specifically-

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/cardio/archive/Tachycardia.html

[skydiverbrian 0]

Heart rates are peculiar. They're as individual as you and I, but 180 is definitely NOT normal and can reduce cardiac output if allowed to continue for too long. I'd guess that he is having an episode of Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT). In the field, we treat it immediately with drugs or a 'mild' shock (similar to defibrillation). Many people have SVTs on a regular basis. In and of itself, it's not a big deal. But it does almost always indicate that there will be heart failure later in life. There's not really much that can be done except to monitor and try to manage the problem. There's no 'cure'.

In a world full of people, only some want to fly... isn't that crazy! --Seal

[skycat 0]

My Dad had it. He was a Land Surveyor, and walked at least 10 miles everyday sometime with 20 lbs of equipment. So needless to say he was in very good shape for a man of 57. So in June of 2000 he went to the Dr. to have his heart checked, since Heart Disease ran in his family and his brother had just been put on a transplant list due to it. Well he had it and the Dr said he had 2 weeks - 10 years, he just didn't know, and he had to run more tests.

2 days later he had a masive heart attack on the dance floor at a family reunion. No warning no notice. So if you have it and really take care of yourself and are in good shape it can still get you.

Fly it like you stole it!

[DivinDon 0]

My father had congestive heart failure a couple times before his transplant anything specific you would like to know,I would be glad to share my knowledge as to what I observed with his disease

[Stacy 0]

i'm not going to repeat what's been said already, but a few of my patients i see have end stage CAD, CHF, etc. It's strange in its process, one of those things that a person with teh disease seems to taper off slowly at times then cause a rapid decline, then slow declines... very strange and hard to predict. expect the unexpected.

[AndyMan 7]

Thanks everyone, been very informative.

These things are never good, but we actually are viewing it mostly in a positive light. He's been going downhill for years and has refused any medical help, we're all glad to see he finally is getting the attention he so clearly has needed.

_Am

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[nubain1 0]

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Heart rates are peculiar. They're as individual as you and I, but 180 is definitely NOT normal and can reduce cardiac output if allowed to continue for too long. I'd guess that he is having an episode of Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT). In the field, we treat it immediately with drugs or a 'mild' shock (similar to defibrillation).


ADENOCARD!!!!!!!I love that drug.Watch them have periods of transient asystole for up to 30secs and there still talking to you.It's so frickin cool. And as for cardioverting......"why does it feel like a mule kicked me in the chest."

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[skydiverbrian 0]

Cool stuff, ain't it? I still get the 'pucker' whenever I see it. "Oh shit - I just stopped their heart. Hope it starts up again."

In a world full of people, only some want to fly... isn't that crazy! --Seal

[nubain1 0]

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Cool stuff, ain't it? I still get the 'pucker' whenever I see it. "Oh shit - I just stopped their heart. Hope it starts up again."

I have had times where I 've had the problem pt with svt.So what I like to do sometimes and I know it's mean as hell but it's fun anyway is to turn the monitor to where they can see it right before slamming the adenocard and then when that transient asystole starts I look at them and go......oh shit youo're heart stopped beating....look! The look on their faces when they see that flatline it classic.I don't do it all the times just to the ines that are being dicks about going to the hosp and giving a hard time about it.And I always tell my partner to be prepared to work a code just in case thier heart does'nt restart.I have'nt had it happen yet but I know it will eventually.

[skymedic 0]

Adenocard???...

were using cardizem where I work now.....significantly fewer side effects...transient asystole being one of them....

and if the cardizem doesn't work then we end up gong back to the adenocard...

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[nubain1 0]

Yeah, but doesn't cardizem have to be refridgerated or thrown away after 30 days?