Table of contents:
- Various treatments for cardiomyopathy
- Take drugs
- Non-surgical procedure
- Operation or surgery
- Healthy lifestyle to help treat cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy or weak heart is a condition that should not be underestimated. If not treated promptly, this condition can progress to other more serious heart problems, such as heart failure. So, how do you deal with a weak heart or cardiomyopathy and what are the medications and medications that are generally given?
Various treatments for cardiomyopathy
Weak heart or cardiomyopathy is a disease related to the heart muscle. In this condition, the heart muscle becomes large, thick, or stiff. When it gets worse, the heart can weaken and can't pump blood properly.
A person with a weak heart condition generally does not have certain signs or symptoms. However, symptoms can be felt if the disease has progressed to a more severe condition.
In someone who does not feel symptoms, medication or medication for weak heart is generally not necessary. Sometimes, cardiomyopathy, especially type dilated cardimyopathy,that appeared suddenly could go away on its own. In this condition, you only need to adopt a healthy lifestyle so that your weak heart doesn't get worse.
However, in someone with more severe cardiomyopathy and with certain symptoms, treatment of a weak heart is necessary. This treatment is not intended to cure, but mainly to reduce symptoms, manage all conditions that can affect a weak heart, control the disease so that it does not get worse, and reduce complications and the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
Cardiomyopathy treatment is given depending on the type of cardiomyopathy you have, how severe your symptoms and complications are, and your age and overall health condition. Here are various ways to deal with as well as medications and medications for a weak heart that you may need to live with:
One way to treat cardiomyopathy or a weak heart is through prescription medications. In addition to improving the heart's ability to pump blood, the doctor may also prescribe other medicines to manage various conditions that can affect cardiomyopathy, such as high blood pressure, blood clots, irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias), fluid retention, or inflammation ( inflammation).
Always consult your doctor to get the right medicine according to your health condition and the possible side effects that you will feel. The following are various types of drugs that you may need to take:
1. ACE inhibitors
5. Digoxin
Another medicine for heart disease that your doctor may prescribe is digoxin, also known as digitalis. This class of drugs can help strengthen contractions as well as slow down the heart rate.
Thus, the heart can pump more blood with each beat and the heartbeat becomes more regular. This drug can also reduce various symptoms of heart failure that you experience so that it helps you stay active in your daily life.
6. Calcium channel blockers
Drug calcium channel blocker generally given to patients with weak heart typeshypertrophic cardiomyopathy.This drug works by blocking the channels in the walls of the heart muscle cells to keep calcium from getting into them.
This can reduce heart contractions as well as slow down the heart rate. This condition can reduce the perceived symptoms of cardiomyopathy as well as the risk of more severe heart damage. One of the drugs calcium channel blocker which doctors often prescribe, namely verapamil.
7. Aldosterone receptor antagonists
This drug is usually given to patients who are already taking diuretic drugs, ACE inhibitors, or beta blockers. As for the side effects that may arise, such as nausea and vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. One example of this drug, namely spironolactone.
8. Anticoagulant drugs
In addition to the drugs above, patients with weak hearts also generally receive anticoagulant drugs to prevent blood clots from occurring. The reason is, cardiomyopathy can cause blood clots due to a difficult heart pumping.
Examples of anticoagulant drugs commonly given to cardiomyopathy patients are aspirin or warfarin. These medications generally have side effects, such as excessive bruising or bleeding.
9. Antiarrhythmic drugs
Other drugs to treat a weak heart that the doctor may give, namely anti-arrhythmias. This type of medication is needed to control a fast or irregular heartbeat, which is one of the symptoms of this disease.
10. Anti-inflammatory
In addition to the drugs above, cardiomyopathy patients may also be given drugs to reduce inflammation or inflammation. Corticosteroids are one example of drugs that doctors usually give to reduce inflammation.
After getting medicines from your doctor, you need to remember to always take them regularly and regularly according to the dosage and the conditions. Do not change doses and skip taking this medication without the doctor's knowledge so that it can be effective in treating your weak heart.
Apart from oral medications, there are other ways to treat and treat a weak heart, namely by non-surgical procedures. Reporting from the Mayo Clinic, there are two possible procedures for this type of treatment, namely:
1. Septal alcohol ablation
This treatment procedure is performed by injecting ethanol (a type of alcohol) through a catheter tube into an artery that supplies blood to the thickened area of the heart muscle. Through this procedure, the thickened muscle tissue can shrink back to its normal size.
2. Radio frequency ablation
This procedure is used to treat abnormal heart rhythms.
Apart from medications and non-surgical procedures, surgery or surgery may also be done to treat weak heart or cardiomyopathy. There are two types of surgery that may be performed, namely septal myectomy and implant device surgery.
1. Septal myectomy
Septal myectomy surgery is generally performed on weak heart patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (pypertrophic cardiomyopathy) with severe symptoms. Patients with weak heart will go through this surgical procedure if medication alone is not enough to treat the disease.
Septal myectomy is performed by removing the thickened part of the septum (muscle wall that separates the left and right sides of the heart), especially in the septum that protrudes into the left ventricle.
Through this operation, blood flow through the heart and out of the heart will be smoother. These operations are often successful and allow you to return to normal life without feeling any symptoms.
2. The implanted device
To treat a weak heart, an implanted device may be placed in your heart through a surgical procedure. This method can help you improve heart function and reduce symptoms. Some of the implanted devices that may be installed include:
- Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) or cardiac resynchronization therapy device. A CRT device is installed to coordinate contractions between the left and right ventricles of the heart.
- Implantable cardioverter defibrillator(ICD) or defibrillator cardioverter implants. This device is placed on the chest or abdomen connected to the heart with a cable to help control arrhythmias that can cause sudden cardiac arrest.
- Left ventricular assist device(LVAD) or left ventricular assist device. This device helps the heart pump blood to the body. The LVAD can be used as a long-term or short-term therapy for patients awaiting a heart transplant.
- Pacemakeror a pacemaker. This device is placed under the skin of the chest or abdomen to help control arrhythmias.
3. Heart transplant
In this procedure, a diseased heart is replaced with a healthy heart, which is obtained by donors from a deceased person. You need to undergo this surgery if you have end-stage heart failure and all kinds of medications and other heart disease treatments have not worked. In other words, it is the last treatment option in cardiomyopathy patients.
Healthy lifestyle to help treat cardiomyopathy
In addition to medical methods, lifestyle changes also need to be made to treat a weak heart. A healthy lifestyle that needs to be done includes:
- Eat healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other foods for the weak heart.
- Reduce your salt intake.
- Regular light exercise.
- Quit smoking.
- Lose weight, for those who are obese.
- Avoid alcohol and illegal drugs.
- Enough sleep.
- Reduce stress.
- Control to the doctor.
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