Recognising early signs of decompensated heart failure — sudden weight gain, ank...
Heart failure affects approximately 10% of adults over 70 and is the leading cause of hospitalisation in this age group. Despite advances in pharmacological management — including ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, aldosterone antagonists and SGLT2 inhibitors — heart failure remains a condition with a prognosis worse than many common cancers, and its management in the home setting is both clinically demanding and critically important.
For home care nurses, the cornerstone of heart failure monitoring is daily weight measurement. A weight gain of more than 2kg over 48 hours is a well-validated early indicator of fluid retention and impending decompensation. Alongside weight monitoring, nurses assess for ankle and leg oedema, increased breathlessness on exertion or at rest, nocturnal cough and changes in urine output. Structured patient education — including fluid restriction, dietary sodium reduction and medication adherence — is an essential component of every heart failure home visit.
Mehermedics places cardiac-trained nurses with home health agencies that operate structured heart failure management programmes, and ensures all nurses have clear protocols for urgent escalation to the cardiology team when decompensation is suspected.
