Treatment:

While all types of cardiomyopathy can cause heart failure, each case requires specific strategies for recovery.

Treatment involves a combination of patient education, dietary changes, and medications.

Possible medications include:

• ACE-inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs): These drugs have been shown to improve survival and reduce heart-related complications.
• Aldosterone blockers: These drugs help balance electrolytes in the body. Studies have shown that aldosterone blockers can improve survival in patients who have a heart attacked complicated by cardiomyopathy.
• Beta blockers: Beta blockers are widely used for congestive heart failure. They improve survival in patients with cardiomyopathy and are important parts of therapy. Beta blockers slow the heart rate.
• Diuretics: Often called "water pills," diuretics help relieve the fluid overloads in heart failure.
• Positive inotropic medications: These medicines help the heart contract. They include dopamine, dobutamine, and milrinone.
• Vasodilators: These drugs dilate blood vessels at several levels in the body, reducing the workload for the heart.

Other drugs that correct irregular heart rhythms and blood thinners may also be used.

Certain individuals with severely weak pumping function of the heart and severe heart failure may need a biventricular pacemaker. It works on the right and left chambers (ventricles) of the heart and keeps them pumping together. In very specific cases, this special pacemaker may also have a defibrillation function, which means it can quickly detect a life-threatening, rapid heartbeat and convert it back to normal. See: Defibrillation.

In severe cases, surgery may be performed to help the patient live longer until a donated heart is available. However, surgery does not cure the disease. Surgical procedures include:

• Left ventricular assist device (LVAD): LVADs are the most common type of heart pump. They help the left side of the heart push blood to the aorta, the bodyâ ' s main blood vessel.
• Dynamic cardiomyoplasty: A procedure in which a flap created from a patient's chest muscle is trained to contract often and "wrapped around" the heart to help it contract.

Patients with advanced, severe heart failure need a heart transplant.

Expectations (prognosis):

The outlook depends on many different things, including the severity of the heart problem, the cause of the cardiomyopathy, and how well you respond to treatment.

The disorder is chronic (long-term)and the condition may get worse very quickly.

Complications:

• Heart failure
• Irregular heart beat

Calling your health care provider:

Go to the emergency room or call the local emergency number (such as 911) if symptoms of heart failure develop.