Infection is a common health problem in our daily life. However, when the infection becomes severe, it may lead to a series of life-threatening complications, one of which is septic cardiomyopathy. As a doctor, I hope to help you better understand this disease and raise awareness of prevention.
1. What is septic cardiomyopathy?
Septic cardiomyopathy, in short, is a disease in which sepsis (a severe systemic infection) involves the heart muscle, resulting in myocardial dysfunction. In sepsis, the systemic inflammatory response caused by infection can damage multiple organs, and the heart, as an important blood-pumping organ, is inevitably affected. When the myocardium is damaged, its systolic and diastolic functions will be affected, which may lead to heart failure or even death in severe cases.
2. The clinical signs of septic cardiomyopathy mainly include the following points:
1. Cardiac symptoms: Patients often have angina pectoris, arrhythmia, expiratory dyspnoea and other symptoms, which may be accompanied by heart murmur, loss of appetite, fatigue, etc.
2. Abnormal biochemical indicators: The level of myocardial enzymes is usually higher than normal, especially the level of cardiac troponin may increase, suggesting that myocardial cells are damaged
. 3. Abnormal cardiac color Doppler ultrasound: left ventricular systolic function decreased by more than 50%, left ventricular dilatation, and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.
4. Hemodynamic changes: decreased cardiac output, decreased cardiac index, increased pulmonary artery wedge pressure, and changes in systemic vascular resistance, reflecting abnormal
cardiac pumping function and vascular tension. 3. The treatment of septic cardiomyopathy mainly includes the following aspects:
1. Anti-infective therapy: The use of antibiotics to control infection is the basis for the treatment of septic cardiomyopathy, which should be started as soon as possible and the types of antibiotics should be adjusted according to the results of drug sensitivity tests.
2. Maintain stable blood pressure: ensure stable blood pressure, give active fluid infusion, and use pressor drugs for patients with low blood pressure.
3. Reduce heart oxygen consumption: control body temperature, correct hypoxia, and reduce heart load to reduce myocardial damage.
4. Myocardial nutrition: After infection control, take coenzyme Q10, adenosine triphosphate and other myocardial nutrition drugs to promote the recovery of myocardial cells.
5. Instrument-assisted therapy: For patients with severe cardiac dysfunction, it may be necessary to use external auxiliary equipment such as artificial membrane lung and ECMO technology to improve cardiac function and correct systemic hypoxia.
6. Comprehensive organ maintenance Multiple organ failure may occur after sepsis infection, so the organ function of the whole body should be maintained comprehensively to promote the recovery of the heart.
4. The key to prevent septic cardiomyopathy is to prevent sepsis itself and its related complications:
1. Enhance immunity: through proper exercise such as jogging, swimming, and regular work and rest, to enhance the body’s resistance and reduce the risk of pathogen invasion.
2. Control of infectious diseases: sepsis has a certain degree of infectivity, patients should quarantine in time, and avoid contact with infected persons, do a good job of protective measures.
3. Pay attention to personal hygiene: keep the living environment clean and hygienic, disinfect regularly, wash hands frequently, pay attention to dietary hygiene, and avoid eating unclean food.
4. Management of underlying disease: For patients with severe endocrine and metabolic disorders and organ transplantation, underlying disease should be improved to reduce complications and prevent cross infection.
5. Seek medical treatment in time: In case of abnormal body temperature, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath and other symptoms, seek medical treatment in time to avoid deterioration of the condition.
Septic cardiomyopathy is a serious infectious cardiac complication, which poses a major threat to the life and health of patients. By understanding the morbidity mechanism, clinical signs, diagnostic methods and treatment strategies of this disease, we can better prevent and treat it. At the same time, it is essential to improve public awareness and attention to septic cardiomyopathy. Let’s work together to protect heart health and stay away from disease.
