Re: A New Treatment?

Posted By A friend Who cares on June 02, 1999 at 10:25:27
Please if you can help. I posted this before. Any information you could give me about a new treatment for cardiomyopathy  would be GREATLY appreciated. My request was as follows:
I have a friend whose diagnosis is cariomyopathy. I think the # is called a
ejection rate (?). His is 12 now.  Last year his ejection rate was around 20. He is 44 years old. We recently heard of a new treatment. It seems the drug (herb) Mark McGuire was taking during his home run hitting streak has somewhat of a positive effect on cariomyopathy if taken intravenously. Can you tell us anything else about this treatment? Thank you very much for your time.

[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on June 02, 1999 at 14:19:35
Dear friend
I would avoid the drug that the baseball player was taking. It has no proven beneficial effect and has several serious side effects.
I suggest your friend be evaluated by a heart failure specialist to discuss legitimate options to improve his situation.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.
Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.

[A-Friend]

Posted By A Friend on June 02, 1999 at 19:44:48
Thank you very much for answering my first question. Could you please elaborate on your answer? What are some of the serious options available to improve his condition in your opinion? Is there anything that could reverse this or slow it down or is a heart transplant inevitable? He is under the care of a heart specialist. He takes a lot of medicine. He pushes himself to keep going, but he is getting worse. I am very concerned. Has there been any new successful research related to cardiomyopathy? I know I am asking many questions. Thank you again for your time and consideration.

[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on June 06, 1999 at 12:37:09
Dear friend
There are excellent medications for cardiomyopathy like ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers. Several new medicines are in the development pipeline. If his symptoms are severe and cannot be controlled by medications, transplantation is an option, with results improving all the time.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck.
Information provided here is of a general nature.  Specific diagnoses and treatments can only be made by your doctor.  If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiologist at Desk F15.

[A-Friend-Who-Cares]

Posted By A Friend Who Cares on June 06, 1999 at 19:23:05
Your answers and time are greatly appreciated. I am  sure you understand how concerned one can get over this illness. How available are hearts for transplantation? My friend is O + . What is the criteria for receiving a new heart? Do blood types have to match perfectly? Thank you again.

[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on June 08, 1999 at 11:12:41
Dear friend
The blood type does have to be an exact match. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of heart donors nationwide. Patients needing heart transplants are put on a waiting list. Sicker patients are higher priority on the list. The waiting period can be as short a s a few days for a patient in the intensive care unit to several months for someone at home.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.
Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.

[John-Tverdik]

Posted By John Tverdik on June 09, 1999 at 14:31:04
Wow, that's a bold statement.  I have cardiomyopathy and I have found CoQ10 to be very helpful in boosting my ejection fraction from the low 30s to the low 50s.  Also, there is alot of research that shows CoQ10 to be beneficial in the treatment of CHF.

[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on June 11, 1999 at 11:25:37
Dear John
There is no good scientific evidence that CoQ10 helps heart failure - in fact there is evidence that it does not. Your heart probably got better due to proven prescription medications that you were taking, or most likely, just due to the passage of time and the body's own healing response. Despite the hype on the Internet and in the lay press, CoQ10 is unproven therapy.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.
Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.

[RAY__0]

Posted By RAY on June 14, 1999 at 16:45:04
I have Dilated Cardiomyopathy ( Caused by a virus - in other word cause unknown)  I have been taking CQ 10 and also selenium for about two years - Both were recommended as good supplements - How ever I have also been on medications at the same time primarily verapamil and carvedilol(COREG).  The only noticable improvement came about six months after being on Coreg full dose.  A minor Ejection freaction improvement was measured.  However my exercise tolerance did not improve nor did the associated arrithymia.  
I have seen some research that RF ablation is being used to treat some patients with limited success and also that there is a new Ultrasound ablation in experimentation that has the capability of a more focused ablation as compared to RF.  Both seem to be a long way off in terms of clinical application.  Your friend might want to check with the ACA to see if there are trial programs that he may become involved with.
I find for me personally that a slow and steady exercise program at the minimum tolerance level has led to some improvement in exerciser tolerance.
hope this has been of some help
Regards RAY        










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