What is the ideal pulse rate to assist in shrinkage of an enlarged heart?
Patient: What is the ideal pulse/heartrate to assist in the possible shrinkage of an enlarged heart, please? I am 49 years old, under 9 stone, 5ft 6 and a half inches tall. I have had an overactive thryoid and partical thyroidectomy in 2006 and also anaemia. I had a chest infection with SOB in 2009 and a very bad chest infection this year May-June 2011. SOB worse, xray enlarged heart and possible dilated cardiomyopathy & left bundle block. Both ventricles affected and left atrial. No evident coronary disease. Drugs made symptoms worse. Doctor: Hello,  The blood pressure in the ER and even now  ( diastolic of 101 ) are in the higher range . The symptoms you describe headache and all other can be explained because of blood pressure being on the higher side . So a 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring ambulatory if the reading are high there ,starting ambulatory do anti hypertensive medication should be the way forward.  Giving main med may be  a temporary way of treating the symptoms particularly if the reason for the symptoms is higher blood pressure.  As soon as the blood pressure comes under control the symptoms should vanish . Regards Dr. Priyank Mody