Concerning the data presented with the young boy, mitral regurgitation is a diagnosis that would is favorable for determining the possible cause of dilated cardiomyopathy. the flow of blood from the left ventricle is facilitated by the mitral regurgitation towards the left autrium. This process happens during ventricular axilla and systole (Huether & McCance, 2012). There exist evidence that mitral regurgitation can be tolerated for long periods until there is occurrence of ventricular failure (Etoom & Ratnapalan, 2014). Dilated or congestive cardiomyopathy is diagnosed when the heart is dilated and the pumping chambers which is worse on the left side contract poorly. Dilated cardiomyopathy can appear with no symptoms. In severe incidences, there occur heart failures (O’Mahony, Elliott, & Mckenna, 2013). The incident happens when the heart fails to pump the blood to sustain oxygen requirements and nutrients in relation to the demand by the body tissues (American Heart Association, 2012). As an advanced nurse practitioner, I would refer the patient to a cardiologist (Browder-Lazenby, 2011). According to Frank and Jacobe, patients should be restricted from certain exercises until specific diagnosis is administered (Frank & Jacobe, 2011). Therefore, the patient should not participate on competitive sports, which can require strenuous training and can cause shortness of breath and fatigue (American Heart Association, 2012). An echocardiography can confirm the diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy.
Factor that might influence treatment of the patient
Dilated cardiomyopathy can have both genetics, infectious or environmental causes (American Heart Association, 2012). Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy is genetic in nature and the cause is unknown and common in older children and adolescents (American Heart Association, 2012). The cardiologist usually recommends other family members to rule out the presence of this disease in parents and siblings.
References
American Heart Association. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/.
Browder-Lazenby, R. (2011). Handbook of pathophysiology. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health
Frank, J. and Jacobe, K. (2011). Evaluation and management of heart murmurs in children.
American Family Physician, 84(7), 793-800. PMID: 22010618
Etoom, Y., and Ratnapalan, S. (2014). Evaluation of children with heart murmurs. Clinical
Pediatrics, 53(2), 111-117. doi:10.1177/0009922813488653
Huether, S. E., & McCance, K. L. (2012). Understanding pathophysiology (Laureate custom ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
O’Mahony, C., Elliott, P., & Mckenna, W. (2013). Sudden cardiac death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
