Committed Cardiomyopathy Treatment in Southern California

Cardiomyopathy, a thickening or enlargement of the heart muscle, doesn’t always cause symptoms or require treatment. Whether or not you need cardiomyopathy treatment depends on how severe your condition is and if it’s causing complications. 

If you do need treatment, it can help manage your symptoms, slow down or stop the progression of your condition, and reduce your risk of heart attack and heart failure.

In matters of the heart, there is nothing more important than a solid patient-doctor relationship. At Dignity Health Southern California, we strive to form relationships that give you a firm foundation for a healthy life. Our expertise includes comprehensive cardiomyopathy treatment at one of our convenient locations in Long Beach, Northridge, Downtown LA, Glendale, and San Bernardino. Use our online Find a Doctor tool to make an appointment today.

Cardiomyopathy Treatment at Dignity Health Southern California

Your doctor will work with you to create a personalized cardiomyopathy treatment plan that takes into account the type, cause, and severity of your condition.

As a first step, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes to improve your heart health and prevent cardiomyopathy: 

  • Manage your weight.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Don’t smoke.
  • Limit alcohol.

Medications may also be recommended to relieve your symptoms and make it easier for your heart to pump. Medications for cardiomyopathy include:

  • Anticoagulants, or blood thinners, reduce the risk of blood clots
  • Corticosteroids reduce inflammation in your blood vessels
  • Antihypertensives lower your blood pressure
  • Antiarrhythmics help your heart maintain a regular rhythm
  • Electrolytes such as potassium provide nutrients to the heart muscle
  • Diuretics, or “water pills,” help remove fluid from your body, lightening the load on your heart 

Medical and surgical procedures for cardiomyopathy include:

  • Septal ablation. A cardiologist uses ethanol (a type of alcohol) to destroy an abnormally thick septum — the wall separating the left and right side of the heart — opening the path for better blood flow.
  • Septal myectomy, open heart surgery to remove part of the thickened septum.
  • Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) helps the heart pump blood.
  • Implantable devices. Cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices send an electric shock to the heart if they detect an irregular or life-threatening heartbeat (arrhythmia).
  • Heart transplant replaces the diseased heart with a healthy donor heart.

Talk to a doctor at Dignity Health Southern California about how you can take control of our heart health. You can also take our online heart risk assessment to get a better idea of how well your heart is working. 

Dignity Health doctors provide personalized strategies for cardiomyopathy treatment and prevention in Southern California.