Understanding About Dilated Cardiomyopathy

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Dilated cardiomyopathy is a type of cardiomyopathy, which affects the main pumping chamber or left ventricle of the heart. Therefore, it causes the heart to become weak and not pump normally. Typically, when this happens, the main pumping chamber becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood well out of the heart ("Stanford Health Care," 2021). People of all ages can be affected by dilated cardiomyopathy, but mainly middle-aged people are prone, especially men. The disease is also common in coronary artery disease patients with genetic defects. In restrictive cardiomyopathy, the heart chambers become stiff and less flexible. Therefore, the chambers cannot expand and fill with blood, which leads to less oxygenated blood available for the body ("Cardiomyopathy - Symptoms, and causes," 2021). Restrictive cardiomyopathy is a less common type and can strike at any age, although it primarily affects old people. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is characterized by abnormal thickening of the heart chambers, mostly the left ventricles, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood normally ("What Is Cardiomyopathy In Adults?", 2021). The condition can occur at any age, but it tends to be more severe during childhood.
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As a nurse, I have a central role in advising, informing, and supporting the patients. There are various cardiomyopathy patients; hence advice, tests, and patient treatments will differ accordingly. The Patients should have their signs monitored, and they need to be encouraged to understand their medications, condition, and possible side effects. The Patients should be encouraged to make lifestyle changes and adopt self-care behaviors. It is my role as a nurse to counsel the patients on smoking, diet, vaccination, body mass index, and alcohol consumption. I should increase the patients' awareness of factors that might worsen their condition and lead to acute heart failure. Most importantly, I should advise them about avoiding moderate-to-high-intensity sport, especially if they have HCM or ACM.
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Typical changes that might be seen in the patient's EKG tracing include reduced or increased heartbeat rates and heart rhythm irregularities. EKG also shows evidence of a previous heart attack by indicating the part and the extent of the heart damage, and it indicates any inadequate bloo...