Heart failure remains a serious and incurable disease, but heart failure treatment with medications is proving very successful in extending survival rates. The type of medication a patient takes to treat his or her heart failure depends on the type of heart failure that person has. Research into discovering new drugs has suffered a few setbacks in recent years; however, the good news is that standard drugs for heart failure treatment are effective and new ones are under development. This activity discusses standard treatment of CHF as well as supplemental aid that can be given to a patient diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The nursing assistant’s responsibilities in caring for a patient with heart failure are also discussed.

After completing this activity, the participant should be able to:

• differentiate between compensated and decompensated congestive heart failure.
• review the types of medications used in the treatment of congestive heart failure.
• identify side effects of medications that need to be reported immediately.
• identify non-pharmacologic treatments used for heart failure.
• describe three responsibilities of the CNA in caring for a patient with congestive heart failure.
• identify possible safety hazards for the resident being treated for congestive heart failure.