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Treating Cardiomyopathy (Heart Muscle Disease)

When you’re a patient at Providence, we help you feel better today and reduce your risk of more serious disease tomorrow. We work with you to create a personalized plan to treat your cardiomyopathy. This plan includes everything from diagnosis and treatment to the post-care support you need to feel your best. The result is compassionate, whole-person care for your body, mind and spirit.

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Why Choose Us for Cardiomyopathy Care?

At Providence, we see the life in you. We are committed to making a positive difference in every life we touch.

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Our patients are at the heart of everything we do, which is why we’re always looking for ways to make your experience better. If your treatment requires innovative procedures, we’ve got you covered. When our patient Tim Kingsbury started feeling sick one day, his wife rushed him to a Providence ER, where tests showed he had an enlarged heart (cardiomyopathy). Using the most cutting-edge technology, his expert care team gave Mr. Kingsbury Impella pump implant to boost his heart’s activity. Soon after, he was back to enjoying his active lifestyle.

Our improved referral process makes it easier for patients to stay with Providence, the network they trust. We’ve also introduced a program to help patients get faster care through virtual visits with a nurse practitioner. This patient-centered approach is why patients have trusted Providence with their cardiomyopathy care for more than 80 years.

We take a team-based approach to treating your cardiomyopathy. Why? Because we know this leads to the best results. Every Providence patient has access to world-class care from leaders in the field. Your multidisciplinary care team includes board-certified heart care specialists who have superior outcomes treating the most complex conditions. Your heart care team also works closely with dietitians to help you make heart-healthy food choices, physical therapists to help you keep living life to its fullest and nurse navigators to coordinate your care with your primary care physician.

We understand that the impact of heart disease is greater in marginalized communities. Genetics plays a part, but unequal access to great health care is also a factor. At Providence, we value, respect and support the racial, ethnic, religious, gender, sexual and spiritual identities of all our patients. We are deeply committed to making sure everyone in our diverse communities has equal access to the best heart care. To do this, we offer location-specific services that help meet our patients’ needs. This includes translation for non-English-speaking patients, telehealth and transportation assistance. And we never turn a patient away, regardless of their ability to pay. Instead, we work harder to make sure every patient is treated equally and with dignity – whoever you are, and wherever you’re at.

As a patient at Providence, you belong to one of the largest community-based networks for heart care in the United States. This means your local heart care team shares knowledge and experience with other cardiac specialists across 51 hospitals in seven states. If specialty care is needed, your heart care team can easily reach the physicians with the most expertise, such as those at our dedicated transplant clinics. The power of our network is one of the reasons more than 400,000 heart patients choose Providence each year.

Providence is well known for offering options – and hope – to patients seeking the most advanced therapies to treat cardiomyopathy. When cardiomyopathy sent Greg Soumokil to the Intensive Care Unit, his Providence care team knew he didn’t have time to wait for a donor heart transplant. So they opted for the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t), a technology so innovative that fewer than 20 patients nationwide have one. The artificial heart allowed Mr. Soumokil to return home to his family while he waited for a heart transplant.

Our doctors and scientists support groundbreaking research projects, such as a clinical trial exploring heart pacing in cardiomyopathy patients with an implanted heart device. We also participate in national and international data registries that track cardiovascular outcomes. Our leadership helps us provide better heart care – and a better life – for you and your loved ones.

More About Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a weakening of the heart muscle that makes it pump blood less effectively to the rest of the body. Often this can result in an enlarged heart and eventually lead to heart failure. Cardiomyopathy often progresses over time, but healthy lifestyle choices can help manage its symptoms or slow its progression. The expert cardiac teams at Providence use the most effective therapies to treat patients with every type of cardiomyopathy, including myocarditis.

Testing and Diagnostics

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Your heart care team uses many different methods to find out which therapies work best for you. They look at your symptoms, other medical conditions and overall health. They also use the most advanced diagnostics to evaluate your condition. Depending on your case, this may include one or more of the following:

Personalized Treatment for Cardiomyopathy

We know that no two patients are the same. This is why your care team works with you to design an individualized treatment plan based specifically on your heart condition and your personal needs. Every treatment plan includes lifestyle changes to support your recovery and long-term heart health.

Your care plan may include one or more of the following therapies:

  • Pacemakers
  • Prescription medications
  • Septal myectomy
  • Ventricular assist devices (LVAD, RVAD, VAD)

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Learn How Our Doctors Are Impacting Patients

Patient Stories

When end-stage heart failure sent our patient Greg Soumokil to Providence, he didn’t have time to wait for a heart transplant. His Providence care team implanted a SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart, a technology so innovative that fewer than 20 patients nationwide had one at the time. Greg was able to return home while he waited for a transplant.

Read Greg's Story

When our patient Tim Kingsbury’s wife rushed him to a Providence ER, tests showed he had an enlarged heart. Using highly advanced technology, his care team gave Tim an Impella pump implant to boost his heart’s activity. Soon he was back to enjoying his active lifestyle.

Read Tim's Story

Meet the Team

At Providence, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.

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Patient Stories and Expert Tips for a Healthy Heart

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Providence Chief Medical Officer Dan Getz, D.O., explains how getting a good night’s sleep can improve men’s mental health and overall wellness.
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Providence Chief Medical Officer Dan Getz, D.O., says exercise and nutrition is key to men’s health and wellness, including strong heart and brain health.
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In honor of National Nutrition Month® Alyssa George, MA, RDN, program manager at Oncology Nutrition, Providence Cancer Institute, talks about the important connection between cancer and nutrition.