A tube runs up a patient's torso to their arm where the medicine enters their bodies. Researchers use two medicines with this technique. Milrinone is a medicine that improves the strength of the heart's contractions and opens the smooth muscles of the arteries throughout the body, lowering the amount of pressure the heart has to pump against. Milrinone is used in combination with oral beta-blockers, which reduce blood pressure and lower the heart rate so the heart doesn't have to work as hard. Milrinone improves the heart function enough so that the beta-blocker can be tolerated.
Doctors say the beta- blocker helps the heart heal and repair itself over time.
It also helps the heart sustain the benefits of the milrinone long after it is stopped. The patients often have trouble performing everyday activities including walking across the room. We need to come up with other options and other solutions, and this is one that can really improve people's quality of life and length of life as well. The patients wear the device for up to six months and then many are weaned off the medicine and given oral medications. Some patients require a longer treatment.