Professor Francisco Leyva-León
MD, FRCP, FACC
Professor of Cardiology, Consultant Cardiologist
Telephone Consultation Cardiologist COVID-19
Private secretary: +44 (0) 7812243176 Appointments, Little Aston Hospital: 0121 580 7151
Appointments, Priory Hospital: 0121 440 2323
COVID-19 ALERT
At present, there are no restrictions to outpatient appointments at Spire Little Aston Hospital, Sutton Coldfield. In line with hospital policy, patients can access face-to-face appointments, as long as they answer the hospital's COVID-19 screening questionnaire, wear a mask and have their temperature taken on arrival. Unless essential, patients should not be accompanied. Telephone and video appointments (via 'zoom') can be arranged if there is a medical reason preventing a face-to-face appointment.
Please note that a clinical opinion can be provided on the basis of a remote consultation, but a physical examination and/or additional investigations may be required.
Other cardiomyopathies
Cardiomyopathy means disease of the heart muscle that affects its function as a pump. It can be due to a heart attack (ischaemic cardiomyopathy hypertension (hypertensive cardiomyopathy) or to valve disease (valvular cardiomyopathy). Outside these categories, there is:
• Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
• Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM)
• Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D)
• Unclassified cardiomyopathies
In all cardiomyopathies, the structure and function of the heart muscle is altered. As the heart muscle weakens, the heart finds it more difficult to contract and relax and less blood is pumped to the lungs and the rest of the body. This can affect bot he left ventricle and the right ventricle. Eventually, if left untreated, the heart dilates and enlarges and heart failure ensues. The rare forms of cardiomyopathies behave as either dilated cardimyopathies or restrictive cardiomyopathies. They can all potentially lead to failure of the pump acton of the heart or serious rhythm abnormalities.