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Inotropic IV Therapy

  • 1.  Inotropic IV Therapy

    Posted 02-29-2020 11:42
    My advanced heart failure team wants me to go on  outpatient inotropic IV therapy as a bridge to transplant, in an attempt to alleviate some symptoms and make me feel a bit better. Does anyone have experience with this?

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    Rachel McGonagill
    Oregon
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  • 2.  RE: Inotropic IV Therapy

    Posted 02-29-2020 12:00
    Hey Rachel,

    I don't have experience with it but I believe you said you EF was 20-25. I would if it where me follow my Cardiologist advice.  I'm wishing you all the best!





  • 3.  RE: Inotropic IV Therapy

    Posted 02-29-2020 12:50
    Oh, I'm planning to go along. Just wondering if folks have practical experience with what it's like.

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    Rachel McGonagill
    Oregon
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  • 4.  RE: Inotropic IV Therapy

    Posted 03-01-2020 09:23
    Yes Rachel I was on Milnirone IV therapy while waiting for my heart. It took awhile to get used to walking around with my IV bag...showering, etc....you do get used to it!

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    Petra Gardiner
    retired
    Rock Hill SC
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  • 5.  RE: Inotropic IV Therapy

    Posted 03-01-2020 11:08
    Thank you, Petra, for responding!

    May I ask some rather specific questions? One of the things that my Doc is a bit worried about vis a vis transplant, is my support network post surgery. My husband has MS, and we have no family in the area. But we do have a home help aide who's been with us for 7 years and is like family, plus a few good friends. So, Doc says the IV therapy would be a bit of a trial run for the support I have, to show where gaps are, etc.  One question is, thus, how intensive is the need for, say, daily assistance? How much can be handled on my own?

    Another question is...did it help? Did you feel any better on the milnirone?

    Thanks in advance,

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    Rachel McGonagill
    Oregon
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  • 6.  RE: Inotropic IV Therapy

    Posted 03-01-2020 13:50
    Hey Rachel The IV therapy definitely helped as I didn't get out of breath at all anymore. As far as needing help, I used plastic wrap to keep the IV site dry when showering. I learned to do this myself. A home health aid changed my IV medication and my husband learned to flush the pic line. It took time to learn to do all this but we'll worth it!

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    Petra Gardiner
    retired
    Rock Hill SC
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  • 7.  RE: Inotropic IV Therapy

    Posted 03-01-2020 14:56

    The breathing better would be the most welcome change! I'm out of breath all the time now.


    Sounds like taking care of the IV's not too intense of a learning curve. Dunno if my husband could learn to do what yours did, as his MS includes processing issues, but it's worth a try, at any rate. May I ask how often it needed flushing? Daily or multiple times a day?



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    Rachel McGonagill
    Oregon
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  • 8.  RE: Inotropic IV Therapy

    Posted 03-02-2020 14:00
    Rachel I honestly don't remember how often I had to flush with the saline, but I think it was daily. A home health nurse came in to change IV medication bag.

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    Petra Gardiner
    retired
    Rock Hill SC
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  • 9.  RE: Inotropic IV Therapy

    Posted 03-03-2020 03:50
    Ah, okay, thanks!

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    Rachel McGonagill
    Oregon
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  • 10.  RE: Inotropic IV Therapy

    Posted 03-01-2020 12:52
    Ginny, I dont have that kind of experience,  but I have 3 OH surgeries over the years.
    Medicines or IV s can be helpful. I did have some iv situations after my second oh in 1972, but it quickly turned out to be the one for me. 
    Anyway, here you can get lots of encouragement and caring folks
    Like me
    Peace.
    Ken

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    ken levine
    volunteer, retired
    802-236-8186
    kenpaullevine@gmail.com
    Middlebury, Vermont
    05753
    United States of America
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  • 11.  RE: Inotropic IV Therapy

    Posted 03-01-2020 13:36
    It's Rachel, Ken. 😂 But thank you.

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    Rachel McGonagill
    Oregon
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