Dyspnea: How to differentiate between acute heart failure syndrome and other diseases

Abstract

Patient present with acute dyspnea every day in emergency departments (EDs) and intensive care units (ICUs). Acute dyspnea is mostly due to potentially life-threatening cardiac or respiratory conditions, and treating it promptly requires understanding of the underlying mechanisms. A number of disorders cause dyspnea, including acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, metabolic acidosis, neuromuscular weakness, and others. Although the clinical diagnosis of typical acute pulmonary edema or acute severe asthma is readily made, the presentation is less typical in a number of cases, for which consultation among ED physicians and respiratory and cardiology consultants is needed. Because of the prevalence of chronic heart failure (CHF), COPD, and asthma in the general population (2%, 5% to 10%, and 5%, respectively), differentiation among these three disorders is frequently needed1-3. © 2008 Springer-Verlag London.