Hi. Questions about Echo readings.

Hello, I have had a PM since 2000, and know how to live with it, but as far as normal heart problems, im kind of blind about. Ive had plenty of EKGs and Echos done in my life, and have never had to be on any kind of heart medication or beta blockers or anything. But my recent Echo readings apparently show that my heart isn't squeezing enough blood. Its only squeezing 40% when the norm is 50-55% according to my dr. He said he would prescribe me a medication called Coreg, but did not go into detail about what the causes or side effects of this could be. I already have low blood pressure, so im not really sure what any of this means. If anyone could give me some kind of output, it would be greatly appreciated. :)

4 Comments

Coreg

by Tracey_E - 2014-02-10 02:02:27

Coreg is a beta blocker which means it makes the heart work less hard. I've never taken Coreg but have taken two others, side effects vary but they all work more or less the same way. They slow the heart rate, make the heart pump less hard and lower blood pressure. Keep an eye out for signs your bp is too low, check if you feel funny. My bp is pretty low to start with also, my dr was very particular about which one he wanted me to try. They can make you really tired the first 4-6 weeks while your body gets used to it. It will get better! Or some people take it and feel fine.

http://www.rxlist.com/coreg-side-effects-drug-center.htm

The squeezing is called EF, ejection fraction. It's what percentage of blood in the heart gets pushed out with each beat. 50-55% is normal, but 40% isn't bad, esp if you don't have symptoms. If it drops too low and it keeps you from doing what you need to do, they gave change your pm to a bi-ventricular which paces both ventricles. By forcing the ventricles to stay in sync, it can raise EF. But for now, your EF is still decent, just letting you know there is help if you eventualy need it.

Echo

by Marie12 - 2014-02-10 06:02:47

I understand where you are coming from. You want your echo to read what is considered normal and anything else is scary. I have been told by my cardiologist, EP, family doctor and rehab nurses to not get hung up on the number. It is about how you feel and what you can do. I am at 30% but still function quite normally with the exception of trying to do a lot of stairs. As to medications, I am not sure which of mine is helping but I think it is Carvedilol and seems to have minimal side effects.

Thank you

by Tash123 - 2014-02-10 08:02:46

Hi thank you for all of the information. The medicine is Carvedilol which I guess is the same as Coreg. It's only 3.125 mg twice a day which I've been told is a very low dose since I already have low blood pressure. Everything I've read about it says it's for heart failure, so that's why I was very curious about the EF function, as I'm only 22 years old and have had a pacemaker for so long and have never had any news like this, so I guess I was a little scared. Thanks everyone for the positive output. :)

Yes, they're the same

by Grateful Heart - 2014-02-10 09:02:37

Carvedilol is the generic for Coreg. I take 25mg. twice a day, the maximum dose I believe. They start you off at 3.125 mg to see if you can tolerate it, then build it up slowly basically doubling the dose each time so don't be alarmed if they look to increase it after a few months.....it's typical.

I have a CRT-D and the first time I was on it I didn't feel well as they increased the dosage from 12.5 to 25 mg. so one Doctor lowered it back down. He never used to explain anything to me, even when I asked. He used to say "let's get through this first".

Another Doctor explained to me the higher dosage is what they strive for because it is best for your heart (at least in my case) so he told me to try and tolerate it. So I tried again after a break from the 25 mg. and it was fine. Because of your low bp they may never put your dosage that high, but I am just mentioning it just in case.

That was 5 years ago, I am still on it and my EF went from 24% to 50-55%, normal like you said.

Like Tracey and Marie said, 40% isn't bad and go by how you feel.

Hope this helps,

Grateful Heart

You know you're wired when...

You participate in the Pacer Olympics.

Member Quotes

It's much better to live with a pacemaker than to risk your life without one.