Doctors say they've implanted a device to help his weakened heart pump blood
WebMD News from HealthDay
By HealthDay staff
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- Country music star Randy Travis is suffering congestive heart failure following a viral heart infection, and his doctors said Wednesday that they have implanted a device designed to help his heart pump properly.
The singer now has what is known as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), which helps the weakened left ventricle push blood through the aorta and throughout the body.
Sometimes the device can be removed if the patient makes a full recovery, but other times it serves as a temporary solution until a heart transplant can be performed. Former Vice President Dick Cheney had an LVAD before he had his heart transplant, USA Today reported.
Travis is still listed in critical condition at The Heart Hospital at Baylor Plano in Texas. His doctors said in a video statement released Wednesday that "his condition has stabilized and he has shown signs of improvement," the Associated Press reported.
Travis was first hospitalized on Sunday after he developed what he thought was a cold. The 54-year-old was later diagnosed with a serious condition known as viral cardiomyopathy, which can lead to congestive heart failure.
Viral cardiomyopathy occurs when a virus infects and attacks the heart, leading to inflammation and a reduced ability to pump blood throughout the body, according to the Heart and Vascular Institute at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. This particular form of cardiomyopathy can progress rapidly, and while it only accounts for 1 percent of all heart disease deaths in the United States, it is one of the most common causes of heart disease in younger people.
One expert explained how viral cardiomyopathy can quickly develop into a life-threatening condition.
"Myocarditis is an inflammatory condition which can occur when the heart is infected by a virus. The condition can range from a minor flu-like illness to critical cardiogenic shock," said Dr. Sean Pinney, director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Program at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
"Most patients will experience only minor degrees of heart dysfunction and will make a full recovery," Pinney continued. "For those patients in whom the virus produces greater degrees of heart dysfunction, full recovery is possible, but less likely. About half of these patients will develop chronic heart failure, and another 25 percent will need a heart transplant or a mechanical assist device," he noted.
"The cornerstone of treatment is to provide excellent supportive care," Pinney explained. "This may include the use of ventricular assist devices, which are surgically implanted pumps designed to support the circulation until the heart can recover or until a heart transplant is performed. Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs have been used, but it is not clear whether they are helpful in aiding recovery."
source : Country Singer Randy Travis Suffering Congestive Heart Failure
