clinical features
Last reviewed 01/2018
The clinical features of heart failure include symptoms such as:
- most common symptoms are:
- breathlessness
- exertional
- at rest - can be orthopnoea and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea (PND)
- fatigue
- exercise intolerance
- fluid retention - ankle swelling
- other non specific symptoms include:
- nocturia
- anorexia
- abdominal bloating and discomfort
- constipation,
- cerebral symptoms - confusion, dizziness and memory impairment (1)
signs such as:
- tachycardia
- displaced apex beat
- third heart sound
- gallop rhythm
- reduced pulse volume
- pulsus alternans
- raised JVP –
- in right heart failure
- has a high predictive value in the diagnosis
- but is often absent
- oedema
- rales, or basal crepitations
- hepatomegaly
- ascites (2)
Reference:
- (1) National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) 2010. Chronic heart failure. National clinical guideline for diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care
- (2) European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2008. ESC guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure 2008
clinical features of right ventricular failure
clinical features of left ventricular failure