MANAGEMENT OF ACUTE HEART FAILURE IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM

Abstract

Introduction: Heart failure is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the world, especially in the elderly. The disease is defined as cardiac dysfunction, where the heart cannot generate an adequate stroke volume that meets the body's metabolic needs, or that it is capable of, but at the expense of higher filling pressure levels. Objective: To analyze the management of patients with acute heart failure in the emergency room. Methodology: This is an integrative review of the last 3 years, from 2022 to 2025, using the Medline, IBECS, and LILACS databases. The descriptors used were: "heart failure" "emergency" "treatment" "diagnosis" and "management". A total of 47 articles were found, which were submitted to the selection criteria. In addition, an Intensive Care Medicine document was used. The inclusion criteria were articles that were made available in full and that were related to the proposal studied. The exclusion criteria were articles available in the form of abstracts, case reports, and those that were not related to the proposal studied. Results and Discussion: Management involves achieving hemodynamic balance, in addition to improving functional capacity, in addition to the identification of potential causes of this decompensation. It usually involves blood pressure and congestion control. The initial management of the patient is done with the use of oxygen therapy, use of vasodilators, and diuretics to improve symptoms.  After the initial management, the next steps are planned, such as the evaluation of associated comorbidities for the management of other conditions, according to the patient's particularities. Patients at high risk are more likely to have complications and mortality, and hospitalization is important. Individuals at low risk may use outpatient treatment. Conclusion: From this perspective, the identification of the disease and its respective management is important to improve the prognosis.