Lecture 12: Cardiomyopathy Flashcards
Define cardiomyopathy.
- Morphologically and functionally abnormal myocardium.
- Excludes cardiac dysfunction caused by structural heart disease.
Structural HD: CAD, primary valve disease, and HTN
What are the 3 classifications of cardiomyopathy?
- Dilated
- Hypertrophic
- Restrictive
What part of the heart is primarily affected in cardiomyopathy?
LV function
What is the initial imaging modality for cardiomyopathy?
Echocardiography
What does systolic dysfunction eventually lead to?
- LV enlargement
- Higher stroke volume
- HF develops once this fails
What characterizes systolic dysfunction?
- Decreases in myocardial contractility
- Reduction in LVEF
- Heart will compensate by enlarging LV.
What characterizes diastolic dysfunction?
- Abnormal LV relaxation and filling
- Elevated filling pressures
- Does not always occur with systolic dysfunction.
- However, if there is systolic dysfunction, it will always occur.
What is myocarditis?
- Inflammatory, infiltrative process due to both infectious and non-infectious causes.
- Leads to myocardial dysfunction and dilated cardiomyopathy.
What are the two main mechanisms by which myocarditis occurs?
- Host-mediated: direct cytotoxic effect of the causative agent.
- Autoimmune-mediated: secondary immune response.
What occurs in the acute phase of myocarditis?
- First 2 weeks
- Myocyte death due to causative agent.
What occurs in the chronic phase of myocarditis?
- After 2 weeks
- Result of inappropriate, overactive immune response.
What are the primary viral causes of myocarditis?
- Adenovirus
- Coxsackie B virus
- CMV
What are the primary toxins that cause myocarditis?
- Alcohol
- Anthracyclines
- Cocaine
Who is myocarditis MC in?
20-50 y/o men
What typically precipitates infective myocarditis?
- Acute febrile illness/respiratory infection
Will develop a few days or weeks after.
What are the classic symptoms associated with infective myocarditis?
- SOB
- Pleural chest pain
- Fever/chills
- HF
- Arrhythmias
What PE findings are we looking for in infective myocarditis?
- Pericardial friction rub
- S3/S4
- Mitral/tri regur
- Volume overload
What are the important initial diagnostic tests to order for suspected infective myocarditis?
- EKG (PVCs)
- Cardiac Biomarkers (elevated troponins)
- CXR (non-specific)
- Echocardiogram
What labs are appropriate to order for suspected infective myocarditis?
- CRP
- ESR
- CBC (eosinophilia)
- Rheumatology workup
- Serum viral antibody titers
- BNP > 100
How is infective myocarditis concretely diagnosed?
Histologic evidence via endomyocardial biopsy.
Only do this if there is a high probability it will change management.
What is the primary treatment for myocarditis?
- Consult cardiology
- ACEi, BBs, Colchicine (pain)
What is the primary treatment for noninfectious myocarditis?
Monitoring until HF symptoms start occurring.
What is the #1 reason for heart transplant?
Dilated cardiomyopathy
What is dilated cardiomyopathy?
- LVEF < 40%
- No CAD or valvular disease
- Dilation and impaired contraction of one or both ventricles
Regurgitation may occur due to the stretch of mitral/aortic valves.