Cardiomegaly: Submitted By, Sheela M John 2 Year MSC Nursing

CARDIOMEGALY
SUBMIT TED BY,
SHEELA M JOHN
2 ND YEAR MSC NURSING

INTRODUCTION
• Cardiomegaly is a medical condition in which the heart is enlarged.

• It is more commonly referred to as an enlarged heart.
• Other common names for cardiomegaly is megacardia or
megalocardia, but they all refer to the same thing.
• The causes of cardiomegaly vary from patient to
patient,depending on each case.
DEFINITION
 Cardiomegaly is a medical condition in which the

heart is enlarged. It is more commonly referred to
as an enlarged heart.
 An enlarged heart may not pump blood effectively,
resulting in congestive heart failure.
ETIOLOGY
 Idiopathic: an enlarged heart can be caused by conditions that caused by conditions

that cause heart to pump harder than usual or that damage heart muscle. Sometimes
the heart enlarges and becomes weak for unknown reasons.
 Diseases of the heart muscle or heart valves, as the thickening and stiffening of
heart muscles progresses, the heart may enlarge to try to pump more blood to the
body.
 High blood pressure
 Arrhythmias: A congenital heart condition, damage from a heart attack or an
abnormal heartbeat can cause heart to enlarge.
 Infectious endocarditis, connective tissue disorders, certain medications or
radiation treatments for cancer, the heart may enlarge.
 Pulmonary hypertension.
 Longstanding anemia (Low red blood cell count)
 Thyroid diseases.
 Pericardial effusion: Accumulation of fluid in the sac(pericardium) that
contains the heart may cause heart to appear enlarged on a chest xray.
 Excessive iron in blood (hemochromatosis): It is a disorder in which the
body doesn’t properly metabolize iron, causing it to build up in various
organs, including heart.
 Rare diseases such as Amyloidosis (It is a condition in which abnormal
proteins circulate in blood and may be deposited in heart, interfering with
heart’s function and causing it to enlarge.
 Viral infection of the heart.
 Pregnancy, with enlarged heart developing around the
time of delivery (peripartum cardiomyopathy)
 Kidney diseases requiring dialysis
 HIV infection
 Alcohol or cocaine abuse
 Diabetes
RISK FACTORS
 High blood pressure : higher than 140/90 millimeters of

mercury
 A family history of enlarged hearts or cardiomyopathy
 Coronary artery disease
 Congenital heart disease
 Valvular heart disease
 Heart attack
CLASSIFICATION
 Ventricular hypertrophy (VH):
• It is thickening of the walls of

a ventricle (lower chamber) of
the heart. Although left ventricular
hypertrophy (LVH) is more common,
rightventricular hypertrophy (RVH), as
well as concurrent hypertrophy of both
ventricles can also occur.
 Atrial enlargement
• It refers to a condition where

the left atrium or right
atrium of the heart is larger
than would be expected.
• It can also affect both atria.

 Dilated cardiomyopathy
• It is the most common type of cardiomegaly. In this

condition, the walls of the left and/or right ventricles
of the heart become thin and stretched.
• The result is an enlarged heart.
• In the other types of cardiomegaly, the heart's large

muscular left ventricle becomes abnormally thick.
• Hypertrophy is usually what causes left ventricular

enlargement.
 Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
It is typically an inherited condition

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
 Heart palpitations
 Severe shortness of breath (especially
physically active)-irregulary unable to catch
one’s breath.
 Chest pain
 Fatigue
 Swelling in legs
 Increased abdominal girth
 Weight gain
 Edema
 Fainting
DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION
 Chest xray
 Electrocardiogram
 Echocardiogram
 Stress test
 Cardiac computerized tomography or MRI
 Blood test
 Cardiac catheterization
 Biopsy
MEDICAL MANAGEMENT
 Diuretics: To lower the amount of sodium and

water in the body, which can help lowers the
pressure in the arteries and heart.
 Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors
(ACE) : To lower the BP and improves the
heart pumping ability.
 Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs): To
provide the benefits of ACE inhibitors for
those who cannot take ACE inhibitors.
 Beta blockers: To lower blood pressure
and improve heart function.
 Digoxin: To help improve the pumping
function of the heart and lessen the need
for hospitalization for heart failure.
 Anticoagulants: To reduce the risk of
blood clots that could cause a heart attack
or stroke.
 Anti-arrythmics: To keep the heart
beating with a normal rhythm.
SURGICAL MANAGEMENT
 Pacemaker: It coordinates the contractions between

the left and right ventricle.
 In people who may be at risk of serious arrythmias,
drug therapy or an implantable cardioverter-
defibrillator may be an option.
 Heart valve surgery: to remove the valve and
replace it with either an artificial valve from a pig,
cow or deceased human donor
 Coronary bypass surgery
 Left ventricular assist device
 Heart transplant
COMPLICATIONS
 Heart failure
 Blood clots
 Heart murmur
 Cardiac arrest
 Sudden death
LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS
 Quit smoking.
 Lose excess weight.
 Limit salt in the diet.
 Control diabetes.
 Monitor blood pressure.
 Get modest exercises, after discussing with
the doctor the most appropriate program of
physical activity.
 Avoid or eliminate alcohol and caffeine.
 Try to sleep eight hours nightly.
CONCLUSION
• Cardiomegaly (megacardia or megalocardia) is a

medical condition in which the heart is enlarged.
• As such, it is more commonly referred to simply as
"having an enlarged heart".
• It is not a disease, but rather a condition that can
result from a host of other diseases such as obesity or
coronary artery disease.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Brunner and Sudharth’s .Textbook of Medical Surgical

nursing: Lippincott Publishers: Page no.1208-1212.
 www.wikipedia.com
 www.mayoclinic.com
 www.currentnurses.com
https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=RNw3SnfLfYQ

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CARDIOMEGALY

SUBMIT TED BY,

2 ND YEAR MSC NURSING

• Cardiomegaly is a medical condition in which the heart is enlarged.

 Cardiomegaly is a medical condition in which the

 Idiopathic: an enlarged heart can be caused by conditions that caused by conditions

 High blood pressure : higher than 140/90 millimeters of

 Ventricular hypertrophy (VH):

• It is thickening of the walls of

• It refers to a condition where

• It can also affect both atria.

• It is the most common type of cardiomegaly. In this

• The result is an enlarged heart.

• In the other types of cardiomegaly, the heart's large

• Hypertrophy is usually what causes left ventricular

It is typically an inherited condition

 Diuretics: To lower the amount of sodium and

 Pacemaker: It coordinates the contractions between

• Cardiomegaly (megacardia or megalocardia) is a

 Brunner and Sudharth’s .Textbook of Medical Surgical

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