Journal Article Critique (Recognizing Heart Failure (ACEIs) )

Journal Critique (Recognizing Heart Failure (ACEIs) ) - Article Example Each stage has relevant information that can be relayed to the patient with the goal in mind of making the patient responsible for the maintenance of his own heart especially in the early stages. Also, the article emphasizes the value of sticking to a medication regimen, consuming a healthy food, as well as exercising as means of preventing heart failure. Heart failure is a disease that afflicts no less than half a million Americans each year according to the article. This makes the disease top the list of diseases that cause mortality. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute heart failure is commonly caused by diabetes, coronary artery disease, hypertension , and diabetes. Nevertheless, the article argues that heart failure can be linked to any of these dysfunction: systolic or diastolic. The aforementioned causes cited by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute are usually diastolic dysfunction. On order to get a complete evaluation of patients suspected with heart failure, they undergo chest X-ray, an electrocardiogram( ECG) and Echo cardiogram. The initial workup for a patient with suspected heart failure includes lab tests, a chest X-ray, an electrocardiogram (ECG), and an echocardiogram. In addition to this, the Mayo Clinic website cited other tests that may prove helpful such as : stress test, coronary cat hetherization ( angiogram ), MRI or cardiac CT. Each test has a corresponding purpose that may reveal a symptom. For example, angiogram helps in determining the presence or even extent of coronary artery disease. The article extensively discussed the stages outlined in the AHA/ACC guidelines. The first stage which is known as Stage A, is a stage that aims to control the condition of the patient by suggesting interventions such as controlling hypertension. Controlling high blood pressure is crucial in preventing heart failure