ACUTE CONGESTIVE-HEART-FAILURE - THE NEED FOR AGGRESSIVE THERAPY

Regardless of its cause, acute congestive heart failure requires immed iate treatment that centers on reducing myocardial oxygen demand and a ugmenting forward blood flow. In many patients, use of diuretics and v asodilators is insufficient to rapidly reverse the course of the disea se. In this article, Dr Levin describes aggressive therapy using diure tics, vasodilators, catecholamines, and mechanical intervention, the c ombination of which may prove lifesaving.