How Can An Enlarged Heart With Reduced Pumping Ability Be Treated?
Doctors are still looking into doing MRI and see if they can do heart stent.
Can you please look at the attached resorts and tell us if it is a very serious health issue to his life with or without having heart stents or with medications.
can he survive long with Medications if his body is not going to support for stent ?
I am going to attach the medical reports.
Thanks so much.
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I passed carefully through your uncle's medical history and attached reports and would explain that his clinical conditions are serious requiring an appropriate medical therapy.
His actual medical condition is called heart failure due to his important coronary arteries disease.
As his heart is abnormally enlarged with a very reduced pumping ability coupled with other unfavourable echo parameters, it may be concluded that he is at increased risk for experiencing life-threatening complications like dangerous ventricular arrhythmias, acute heart failure and even sudden cardiac arrest.
It is worth mentioning that around 50% of patients in his clinical conditions, that is suffering from advanced heart failure die within 5 years from their diagnosis.
Coming to this point, correct medical treatment and frequent medical follow-up are of paramount importance.
Besides medications like ACEI, diuretics, nitrates, anti-thrombotics, beta-blockers (if tolerated), MRAs (like Spironolactone), it is valuable trying to improve his cardiac contractility and thus systolic function.
In this regard, his doctors have recommended performing cardiac MRI, just to investigate whether the vital cardiac muscle is still present in those area supplied by the diseased coronary vessels.
This is an important decision for proceeding to coronary revascularization and stents implantation.
In case viable myocardium is present, that stents implantation is beneficial and may lead to improved cardiac function and subsequent survival.
Otherwise, if cardiac MRI concludes that myocardial scar is extensive and no vital muscle areas are found within the affected area, then stents implantation would not offer a better outcome.
Survival would be similar to the number I mentioned above.
That's why I strongly encourage to follow doctors recommendation about cardiac MRI and eventual coronary revascularization.
Hope I have answered your query.
Take care
Regards,
Dr Ilir Sharka, Cardiologist