How to treat cor pulmonale? Staged treatment is more effective

Cor pulmonale, also known as chronic pulmonary heart disease, is most common among the elderly, especially among smokers. The treatment of cor pulmonale should be scientifically based on its stage. In the acute exacerbation period, the infection must be controlled first to maintain smooth breathing.

1. Actively control infection during acute exacerbation ; clear the airway and improve respiratory function; correct hypoxia and carbon dioxide retention; control respiratory failure and heart failure.

(1) Control bronchopulmonary infection: Refer to sputum culture and drug sensitivity test to select effective antimicrobial drugs. Before the culture results are available, empirical treatment can be performed. See respiratory failure.

(2) Clear the airway and correct hypoxia and carbon dioxide retention: see respiratory failure.

(3) Correction of acid-base imbalance and electrolyte disturbance: see respiratory failure.

(4) Treatment of heart failure: Chronic cor pulmonale may cause heart failure, mainly right heart failure. Generally, after oxygen therapy, controlling respiratory tract infection, improving respiratory function, correcting hypoxia and relieving carbon dioxide retention, the symptoms of heart failure can be alleviated or disappear, and there is no need for routine use of diuretics and cardiotonic drugs. For more serious cases or those who fail to respond to the above treatments, diuretics and cardiotonic drugs can be used.

2. Remission period

(1) Breathing exercises: Breathing exercises are designed to enhance diaphragm activity, increase tidal volume, reduce respiratory rate, and change shallow and rapid breathing to deep and slow breathing. In addition to abdominal breathing during breathing exercises, you must also purse your lips to exhale. This can slow the exhalation flow rate and increase the pressure in the airway to resist the dynamic pressure outside the airway, shift the isobaric point (EPP) toward the large airways, and prevent the small airways from closing prematurely during exhalation. In addition, when doing breathing exercises, you can also exhale with your upper body leaning forward 20° to 40°. This can relax the abdominal wall, increase diaphragm activity, and weaken the activity of the auxiliary respiratory muscles, resulting in a more satisfactory therapeutic effect.

(2) Enhance the body's immunity: The body's immunity of patients with cor pulmonale is mostly reduced, among which the reduction in cellular immune function is particularly obvious. Therefore, it is of great significance to actively improve the immunity of patients with cor pulmonale in remission, prolong their remission period, and reduce the number of acute attacks. Commonly used medicines include traditional Chinese medicine for strengthening the body and transfer factors.