Cardiomyopathy Treatment & Prevention Options

Conditions & Diseases: Cardiovascular System

Cardiomyopathy

Treatment & Prevention Options

Treatment Options

Treatment options for cardiomyopathy include:

I. Medications

Diuretics: Drugs such as Frusemide, Bumetamide and Amiloride are used to reduce excess fluid and sodium in the body.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors: ACE inhibitors such as Captopril, Enalapril, Lisinopril and Enalapril are used to lower blood pressure and minimize stress on the heart.
Beta-blockers: Beta blockers such as Metoprolol, Carvedilol and Bisoprolol reduce the heart rate by reducing the speed of the heart's contractions and also lower blood pressure.
Calcium channel blockers: Calcium channel blockers such as Verapamil slow a rapid heartbeat by reducing the force and rate of heart contractions. Calcium channel blockers also lower blood pressure.
Digoxin: Digoxin increases the force of heart contractions and slows the heartbeat.
Anticoagulants: Anticoagulants such as Warfarin are used to prevent blood clots from forming and are used to treat dilated cardiomyopathy.
Antiarrhythmia Medicines: Amiodarone helps in keeping the heart beat in a normal rhythm.
Antibiotics that are used before dental or surgical procedures to prevent endocarditis (an infection of the heart walls, valves and vessels).
Corticosteroids help reduce inflammation. (5, 12)

II. Surgical Procedures:

Cardiomyopathy can be treated with the following surgical procedures:

Septal Myectomy or Septal Myomectomy: This procedure is adopted to treat patients suffering from Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy and severe symptoms.

In this surgery, a part of the thickened septum that bulges into the left ventricle is removed by the surgeon to widen the pathway leading to the aortic valve in the ventricle thereby improving blood flow through the heart and out to the body. The mitral valve can be repaired if required during this surgery.

Surgically Implanted Devices: Different types of implantable devices can be placed in the heart for an effective heartbeat. A pacemaker helps in maintaining normal heart rhythm. A biventricular pacemaker coordinates contractions between the heart’s left and right ventricles. A Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) helps the heart in pumping blood throughout the body and can be used in patients waiting for a heart transplant. An Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) is used in people suffering from life threatening arrhythmia, if an ICD detects a change in heart rhythm it immediately sends an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat.

Heart Transplant: In this surgery, a person’s diseased heart is replaced with a healthy heart of a from a recently deceased donor.

III. Non-Surgical Procedure: Alcohol Septal Ablation is a non-surgical procedure in which ethanol is injected through a catheter into a small artery supplying blood to thickened area of heart muscle killing the cells. This results in shrinking of the thickened tissue enabling the free flow of blood through the pathway in the ventricle that leads to the aortic valve (5).

Prevention Methods Cardiomyopathy can be prevented by:

1. Avoiding or quitting smoking.

2. Eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight.

3. Regular physical exercise.

4. Avoiding usage of alcohol and illegal drugs.

5. Controlling high blood pressure.

6. Controlling diabetes.

7. Regular health checks (5).

Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com

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Page Last Modified:
02/15/2011