Emergency: requires immediate attention
Congestive heart failure
Alerts and Notices
Synopsis

Patients report vague symptoms of fatigue and shortness of breath, especially when lying down, needing to sleep with multiple pillows or on a recliner to breathe properly, and waking up during the night gasping for breath (paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea).
The incidence increases with age and is higher in men than in women. According to the Framingham Study, the lifetime risk of developing heart failure is approximately 20% for people over the age of 40. The median survival time for men with congestive heart failure is 1.7 years; median survival time for women is 3.2 years. The 5-year survival rate is 25% in men and 38% in women.
Codes
ICD10CM:I50.9 – Heart failure, unspecified
SNOMEDCT:
42343007 – Congestive Heart Failure
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Diagnostic Pearls
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Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls
- Pneumonia (eg, viral pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumoniae pneumonia)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Bronchitis (acute, chronic)
- Myxedema
- Acute kidney injury
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Cirrhosis
- Goodpasture syndrome
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Myocardial infarction
- Pneumothorax
- Pulmonary embolism
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
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Management Pearls
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Therapy
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Drug Reaction Data
Below is a list of drugs with literature evidence indicating an adverse association with this diagnosis. The list is continually updated through ongoing research and new medication approvals. Click on Citations to sort by number of citations or click on Medication to sort the medications alphabetically.Subscription Required
References
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Last Reviewed:02/06/2019
Last Updated:02/06/2019
Last Updated:02/06/2019
Emergency: requires immediate attention
Congestive heart failure
