HeartMate 3 LVAD Therapy

Cardiomyopathy in general refers to diseases of the heart muscle. These diseases change your heart muscle in ways that make it not pump well. This can include enlarging your heart muscle or making it thicker and more rigid than normal. These changes affect how well the heart can pump blood throughout your body, which often can advance to heart failure as it progresses.

It’s important to note that the symptoms of cardiomyopathy might not be noticeable in the early stages. As the condition gets worse, symptoms typically include feeling short of breath, swelling of the legs, ankles and feet, bloating of the abdomen, cough while lying down, fatigue, heart palpitations, and chest discomfort. If you are experiencing these symptoms, it is important for you to reach out to your physician’s office as soon as possible.

There are several types of cardiomyopathy, including:

• Dilated cardiomyopathy: This is when the heart's chambers enlarge and weaken creating difficulty in efficiently pumping blood.
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: The heart muscle becomes abnormally thick making pumping difficult.
• Restrictive cardiomyopathy: The heart muscle becomes rigid and less elastic making expansion during beating difficult.
• Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia: This is a rare type of cardiomyopathy involving fatty or fibrous tissue replacement of the heart muscle.

While lifestyle changes can slow the progression of the condition, it will assist in managing symptoms and improving quality of life. Some lifestyle changes that may  impact your cardiomyopathy journey include: a low sodium diet, alcohol moderation, avoiding smoking, regular exercise, and managing stress.