Diagnostic and therapeutic technique for acute heart failure

Abstract

Acute heart failure has recently become a very common syndrome. Therefore, even if you are not a cardiologist, you should know how to diagnose and treat it. A basic technique is here summarized. Diagnosis of heart failure can be performed from a simple criteria including coarse crackles, an extra-sound (S3), a distention of the cervical vein, cardiomegaly, pulmonary edema, and serum levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (100 pg/ml