Acute congestive heart failure

PREVIEW

Regardless of its cause, acute congestive heart failure requires immediate treatment that centers on reducing myocardial oxygen demand and augmenting forward blood flow. In many patients, use of diuretics and vasodilators is insufficient to rapidly reverse the course of the disease. In this article, Dr Levin describes aggressive therapy using diuretics, vasodilators, catecholamines, and mechanical intervention, the combination of which may prove lifesaving.