Current management of congestive heart failure.

Congestive heart failure is still one of the most common causes of death in our society. Treatment should be approached systematically with a set of well-defined objectives, which include rest, a low-sodium diet, inotropic agents, diuretics, and peripheral vasodilators. Patients receiving treatment for congestive heart failure should be examined daily for symptomatic improvement, cardiac signs, and accurate recording of total fluid intake and output. Serum electrolyte levels and chest X-ray films should also be checked intermittently. When using powerful diuretics or vasodilators, the physician should be aware of the risk-benefit ratio because many of these drugs, alone or in combination, may produce undesirable or even fatal side-effects.