Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy weakens your heart muscle so that it struggles to pump blood properly. At their Brighton Beach (Brooklyn) and Forest Hills (Queens) offices in New York, the Advanced Medical Care team uses cutting-edge diagnostics to evaluate cardiomyopathy symptoms. They also offer advanced, minimally invasive treatments. Call Advanced Medical Care today or book an appointment online for an expert cardiomyopathy assessment.

What is cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy affects your heart muscle, making it more difficult for your heart to pump blood throughout your body.

The disease has a couple of forms. Dilated cardiomyopathy causes your heart’s ventricles (chambers) to thin, stretch, and enlarge. It usually affects the left ventricle (your heart’s main pumping chamber) first. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) develops when your heart muscle thickens.

What are the symptoms of cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy often causes few or no problems, particularly in its early stages. If you do experience symptoms, they can include:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest discomfort or pressure
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Syncope (fainting)
• Swollen legs, ankles, or feet
• Ascites (abdominal fluid buildup)
• Coughing when lying down
• Constant tiredness
• Palpitations (rapid, pounding heartbeat)

Cardiomyopathy can cause severe complications. These include heart attacks, strokes, congestive heart failure, cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), and cardiac arrest.

What causes cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy causes include:

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Heart attack tissue damage
• Chronic tachycardia (fast heartbeat)
• Heart valve problems
• Obesity
• Thyroid disease
• Diabetes
• Thiamin vitamin deficiency
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Cocaine misuse

You can also inherit cardiomyopathy from your parents.

The Advanced Medical Care team diagnoses what’s causing your cardiomyopathy after a thorough medical history review and physical exam. You might need diagnostic imaging or other procedures to confirm the diagnosis.

How is cardiomyopathy treated?

The Advanced Medical Care team offers several treatments that target cardiomyopathy’s causes, prevent your condition from worsening, and lower your risk of complications. The precise treatment you need depends on which kind of cardiomyopathy you have and how severe it is. Potential treatments include:

Medication

Drugs have several functions. They improve your heart’s pumping capability, reduce high blood pressure, slow your heart rate, remove fluid buildup, increase blood flow, and prevent blood clots.

Surgically implanted devices

The Advanced Medical Care team can implant small devices into your chest that improve your heart’s function. These include pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), and ventricular assist devices (VADs).

Cardiac catheterization

Cardiac catheterization is a nonsurgical way to treat heart problems. The Advanced Medical Care team makes a tiny incision in a large artery, usually in your groin. They pass a slim tube (catheter) along the artery to your heart.

Your doctor then uses radiofrequency ablation to heat the tissue or injects alcohol into the heart. These treatments are usually successful for most patients, reducing your chances of needing open heart surgery for cardiomyopathy.

Call Advanced Medical Care today or book an appointment online for expert cardiomyopathy diagnosis and treatment.