My Wife Was Just Diagnosed With Severe Atrial Enlargement. She

Posted on Wed, 31 Jul 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : My wife was just diagnosed with severe atrial enlargement. She has some shortness of breath, and swelling in the ankles. She is 83 yrs. old and takes coumadin and lasix. What is your opinion?

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (35 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome to Ask a Doctor service!

I understand your concern and would explain that this situation may be related to two possible problems:

- low dose of torasemide and excessive fluids retention. In such case increasing the dose of lasix is necessary.
- high heart rate. This could lead to shortness of breath. In such case digoxin or any other sntiarrhythmic drugs ( betablocker, etc.) may be needed. A resting ECG is necessary to examine heart rate and discuss about this possible change in therapy.

I remain at your disposal for any further questions whenever you need!

Kind regards,

Dr.Ilir Sharka, Cardiologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad