Treatments for Dilated cardiomyopathy
Treatments for Dilated cardiomyopathy
The list of treatments mentioned in various sources
for Dilated cardiomyopathy
includes the following list.
Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment
or change in treatment plans.
Dilated cardiomyopathy: Is the Diagnosis Correct?
The first step in getting correct treatment is
to get a correct diagnosis.
Differential diagnosis list for Dilated cardiomyopathy may include:
Hidden causes of Dilated cardiomyopathy may be incorrectly diagnosed:
Dilated cardiomyopathy: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available for Dilated cardiomyopathy:
Dilated cardiomyopathy: Research Doctors & Specialists
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Unlabeled Drugs and Medications to treat Dilated cardiomyopathy:
Unlabelled alternative drug treatments for Dilated cardiomyopathy include:
- Metoprolol
- Apo-Metoprolol
- Betaloc
- Co-Betaloc
- Logimax
- Lopressor
- Lopressor Delayed-Release
- Lopressor HCT
- Lopressor OROS
- Novo-Metoprol
- Nu-Metop
- Toprol
- Toprol XL
Latest treatments for Dilated cardiomyopathy:
The following are some of the latest treatments for Dilated cardiomyopathy:
Hospitals & Medical Clinics: Dilated cardiomyopathy
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More general information, not necessarily in relation to Dilated cardiomyopathy,
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Discussion of treatments for Dilated cardiomyopathy:
NHLBI, Cardiomyopathy: NHLBI (Excerpt)
Since dilated cardiomyopathy is hard to diagnose early, it is rarely treated
in its beginning stage.
The goal of treatment is to relieve any complicating factor, if known,
control the symptoms, and stop the disease's progression. However, no cure now
exists.
Therapy begins with the elimination of obvious risk factors, such as alcohol
consumption. Weight loss and dietary changes, especially salt restriction, may
also be advised.
Drugs used to treat the condition include:
- Diuretics ,
which reduce excess fluid in the body;
- Vasodilators, such as angiotensin-converting
enzyme (ACE) inhibitors , which relax blood vessels, helping to lower blood
pressure and reducing the effort needed by the heart to pump blood through the
body;
- Digitalis ,
which helps to improve pumping action and regulate heartbeat; and,
- Calcium
blockers or beta
blockers , which may be used in some patients to help regulate heartbeat
and to alter the work of the heart muscle.
Also, patients with
irregular heartbeats may be put on any of various drugs to control the rhythm.
In critical cases where the condition is advanced and the patient does not
sufficiently respond to other treatments, a heart transplantation may be needed.
The patient's heart is replaced with a donor heart. Most heart transplant
recipients are under age 60 and in good health other than their diseased heart. (Source: excerpt from NHLBI, Cardiomyopathy: NHLBI)
NHLBI, Cardiomyopathy: NHLBI (Excerpt)
For patients with advanced disease, heart transplantation greatly improves
survival: 75 percent of patients live 5 years after a transplantation. However,
in the United States, the scarcity of donor hearts limits the number of
transplantations to about 2,000 persons a year. Those who qualify for heart
transplantation often have to wait months, or even years, for a suitable donor
heart. Some patients with dilated cardiomyopathy die awaiting a transplant but,
according to recent studies, others improve enough from aggressive medical
treatment to be taken off the waiting list.
Also, some critically ill cardiomyopathy patients with declining heart
function use a small, implanted mechanical pump as a bridge to transplantation.
Called left
ventricular assist devices (LVADs) , these pumps take over part or virtually
all of the heart's blood pumping activity. The devices provided only temporary
assistance and are not now used as substitutes for heart transplantation.
(Source: excerpt from NHLBI, Cardiomyopathy: NHLBI)
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Book Excerpts: Treatment of Dilated cardiomyopathy
Treatments of Dilated cardiomyopathy: Online Medical Books
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for more information about the treatments of Dilated cardiomyopathy.
Dilated cardiomyopathy:
Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Therapeutic goals include correcting the underlying causes and improving the heart’s pumping ability with digoxin, diuretics, oxygen, and a sodium-restricted diet. Other options may involve bed rest and steroids. Vasodilators reduce preload and afterload, thereby decreasing congestion and increasing cardiac output. Acute heart failure requires vasodilation with nitroprusside or nitroglycerin I.V. Long-term treatment may include prazosin, hydralazine, isosorbide dinitrate, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and anticoagulants.
When these treatments fail, therapy may require a heart transplant for carefully selected patients. Cardiomyoplasty, which wraps the latissimus dorsi muscle around the ventricles, assists the ventricle to effectively pump blood. A cardiomyostimulator delivers bursts of electrical impulses during systole to contract the muscle.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy:
Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
The goals of treatment are to relax the ventricle and to relieve outflow tract obstruction. Agents such as propranolol, a beta-adrenergic blocker, slow heart rate and increase ventricular filling by relaxing the obstructing muscle, thereby reducing angina, syncope, dyspnea, and arrhythmias. However, propranolol may aggravate symptoms of cardiac decompensation. Atrial fibrillation necessitates cardioversion to treat the arrhythmia and, because of the high risk of systemic embolism, anticoagulant therapy until fibrillation subsides. Because vasodilators such as nitroglycerin reduce venous return by permitting pooling of blood in the periphery, decreasing ventricular volume and chamber size, and may cause further obstruction, they’re contraindicated in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Also contraindicated are sympathetic stimulators such as isoproterenol, which enhance cardiac contractility and myocardial demands for oxygen, intensifying the obstruction. Although quinidine is used to suppress ventricular arrhythmia, disopyramide is preferred because of its negative inotropic properties. Patients with potentially lethal arrhythmias may need an implantable-cardioverter defibrillator to prevent sudden death.
If drug therapy fails, surgery is indicated. Ventricular myotomy (resection of the hypertrophied septum) or ventricular myectomy (removal of the hypertrophied septum) alone or combined with mitral valve replacement may ease outflow tract obstruction and relieve symptoms. However, ventricular myotomy may cause complications, such as complete heart block and ventricular septal defect.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Restrictive cardiomyopathy:
Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Although no therapy currently exists for restricted ventricular filling, cardiac glycosides, diuretics, and a restricted sodium diet are beneficial by easing the symptoms of heart failure.
Oral vasodilators — such as isosorbide dinitrate, prazosin, and hydralazine — may control intractable heart failure. Anticoagulant therapy may be necessary to prevent thrombophlebitis in the patient on prolonged bed rest. Steroids or chemotherapy may help with the underlying disease process. A heart transplant may be considered in those with poor myocardial functioning.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Cardiomyopathy, dilated:
Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)
Therapeutic goals include correcting the underlying causes and improving the heart’s pumping ability with digoxin, a diuretic, oxygen, and a sodium-restricted diet. Other options may involve bed rest and a steroid.
Vasodilators reduce preload and afterload, thereby decreasing congestion and increasing cardiac output. Acute heart failure requires vasodilation with I.V. nitroprusside or I.V. nitroglycerin. Long-term treatment may include hydralazine, isosorbide dinitrate, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, and an anticoagulant.
When these treatments fail, therapy may require heart transplantation, though only for carefully selected patients. Cardiomyoplasty, which wraps the latissimus dorsi muscle around the ventricles, helps the ventricle to effectively pump blood. A cardiomyostimulator delivers bursts of electrical impulses during systole to contract the muscle.
Give your patient specific care instructions prior to his dimissal. (See Discharge instructions.)
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic:
Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)
The goals of treatment are to relax the ventricle and to relieve outflow tract obstruction. Beta-adrenergic blockers slow the heart rate and increase ventricular filling by relaxing the obstructing muscle, thereby reducing angina, syncope, dyspnea, and arrhythmias. However, they may aggravate symptoms of cardiac decompensation. Atrial fibrillation necessitates cardioversion to treat the arrhythmias and, because of the high risk of systemic embolism, anticoagulant therapy. Calcium channel blockers (such as verapamil) may improve diastolic dysfunction until fibrillation subsides.
Surgical alternatives
If drug therapy fails, surgery may be indicated. Ventricular myotomy (resection of the hypertrophied septum) alone or combined with mitral valve replacement may ease outflow tract obstruction and relieve symptoms. However, ventricular myotomy may cause complications, such as complete heart block and ventricular septal defect, and is experimental.
Dual-chamber pacing may prevent progression of hypertrophy and obstruction. Implantable defibrillators may be used in patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmias.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Cardiomyopathy, restrictive:
Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)
Although no therapy exists for restricted ventricular filling, a digitalis glycoside, a diuretic, and a restricted sodium diet ease the symptoms of heart failure.
An oral vasodilator —such as isosorbide dinitrate, prazosin, and hydralazine —may control intractable heart failure. Anticoagulant therapy may be necessary to prevent thrombophlebitis in a patient on prolonged bed rest.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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