Using IV medications in acute decompensated heart failure
You have a patient who just presented to the ER with heart failure. Your first job is to assess their congestion and their perfusion status so you know how to proceed. Learn more about when you should use IV loop diuretics or vasodilators, and when positive inotropes should be employed.
When considering which medication to initiate in a patient hospitalized with acutely decompensated heart failure, keep in mind the invasive monitoring (e.g., an arterial line) that may need to occur with certain medications. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to handle patients who are resistant to loop diuretics, how to decrease the afterload and increase the stroke volume with vasodilators, and how positive inotropes can help preserve perfusion to organs like the kidneys.
Start the first chapter of our Medical Treatment of Heart Failure course for free
Do you know what combination of diuretic, ACE inhibitor or ARB, and beta-blocker is best for your patient with heart failure? You will master the appropriate ACC / AHA guideline-directed medical therapy for patients in stage A, B, C, and D heart failure, as well as learn to treat acute decompensations. Confidently assess and manage heart failure patients with this course.
Master the different stages of heart failure, prescribe the appropriate medications, and manage acute decompensations.