Myectomy (sp)?

[momoftwoboys]

What's an open myectomy (sp)? I was just watching a television show (kind of like ER) and there was a lady who was on beta-blockers and might need a myectomy. They didn't say what was really wrong with her.

[SerenaWelsh]

I've heard of an Eyerectumy - where they cut the cord between the eyeballs and the rectum to get rid of somebody's sh***y outlook.....

[mom2gageandkeely]

What? is that a joke I missed!

[SerenaWelsh]

yes. it's a joke. my mom used to always say people with a crappy outlook needed an eyerectumy....

[NursCEO]

well, we all know that I know the OB side of stuff. A myomectomy is uterine surgery that is usually performed to remove fibroids.

Carrie

[Yvonne]

Just read this thread and rembered I just read something about myectomy.
In short a myectomy is an operation to remove the piece of thickened muscle that is obstructing the outflow tract of your heart. People with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can have this.

[JAMESFETT]

When applied to the heart, a myectomy is removal of part of the heart muscle--it may be done in the case of outflow track obstruction with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but it may also be done in the case of severe chronic HF, to try to restore the better functioning shape of the heart. The term "remodeling" is used in HF, and it is not a desirable change, because the normal spherical shape of the heart (efficient pumper) is changed to a globular shape (less efficient pumper). Some medications, such as carvedilol may prevent the undesirable remodeling from happening. The surgical procedure may help to restore a more efficient function. But it is still early in the course of that type of therapy, and long-term results are not in, so one must be very cautious in moving in that direction. A type of patch over the left ventricle is also being tried, and helping some who have extremely poor LV function.

James

[SerenaWelsh]

Dr. Fett,

The patch you talk about - is that the stocking like thing I've been reading about? It's as if support panty hose are being pulled up over the heart...?

Also, when wandering the halls of UNC, I saw a strange little device on display. It was clear plastic and was generally shaped like a heart. The tag under this device said that it is widely used in Italy (if you can call that widely) for reshaping enlarged hearts, and will soon be tried in the US.

Have you heard of these, and would these both be examples of substitutes to a myectomy?

Thanks,

[JAMESFETT]

Yes and yes. These may hold promise for someone with EF less than 15 percent, and/or waiting for heart transplant, or even a bridge to transplant. But that's somewhat of an opinion, I'm not at all super-informed about these thiings. But I think we need more observation, someone is always thinking of something new--that's good.

James

[dawn]

I have a friend from WH who had the "net". Her EF has gone from 15% to 50% over the course of one year.