CHF Assessment (OSCE)
Appearance
Inspection
[edit | edit source]General Comfort
- SOB, Orthopnea
- Full sentences
Vitals
[edit | edit source]- BP (assess Cardiac output, ↓ in heart failure)
- Pulse (rate, rhythm, character - normal, small, bounding)
- Respiration (rate, Cheyne-Stokes)
- pulsus paradoxus - ↓ strength of pulse and systolic BP during inspiration
- + in severe asthma and cardiac tamponade
Poor Perfusion (Forward Failure)
[edit | edit source]- ↓ LOC
- pallor, cold or clammy skin, acrocyanosis
- urine output
JVP
[edit | edit source]- Kussmaul’s sign - ↑ JVP on inspiration (due to ↓ RA filling: constrictive pericarditis, not readily seen in cardiac temponade)
- HJR
Palpation
[edit | edit source]Apex beat(palpable in ~50% of population)
- Position - normally in 5th ICS MCL
- Size < $0.25
- Character (sustained/diffuse, duration)
Ventricular heaves
- Enlarged apex or laterally displaced → LVH
- subxiphoid → RVH
Palpable Thrill
- same location as auscultation for heart sounds
Peripheral
[edit | edit source]- Edema
- sacral, tibial tuberosity
- peripheral pulses
Abdomen
[edit | edit source]- palpate for tenderness, palpable hepatomegaly (RHF), ascites
Auscultation
[edit | edit source]- Heart Sounds
- S3, S4, murmurs (MR due to mitral annular dilation from a dilated heart)
- Lung (with patient sitting upright)
- ↓ A/E, crackles, dullness to percussion, bronchial breath sounds → pulmonary edema or effusion