Glucose disturbance and acute heart failure syndrome

Abstract

Acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS) is a common clinical syndrome in the intensive care setting. It can be caused by primarily cardiac pathology such as acute coronary syndromes (ACSs), acute myocarditis, acute endocarditis with severe valvular insufficiency, and several other cardiac diseases. In the cardiac surgical intensive care unit, acute heart failure, eventually leading to cardiogenic shock, is a well-described problem, often referred to as postcardiotomy heart failure. Besides these single organ failure syndromes, acute or chronic heart failure is often part of the multiorgan failure syndrome and accompanies sepsis, septic shock, and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Each of these clinical entities has its proper causal and supportive therapy. © 2008 Springer-Verlag London.