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. 2009 Feb 3;21(10):777–779. doi: 10.1002/clc.4960211017

Doxorubicin‐induced cardiomyopathy treated with carvedilol

Serafino Fazio 1,, Emiliano Antonio Palmieri 1, Beatrice Ferravante 1, Filomena Bon È 1, Bernadette Biondi 1
PMCID: PMC6655455  PMID: 9789703

Abstract

Even today, heart failure due to doxorubicin‐induced dilated cardiomyopathy seems to have a poor prognosis, as it is often irreversible and relatively unresponsive to standard medical treatment. This paper describes the first case of a patient complaining of severe symptoms of congestive heart failure due to doxorubicin‐induced dilated cardiomyopathy unresponsive to standard medical treatment (digoxin, diuretics, and angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor), who showed complete clinical recovery and significant improvement of left ventricular dysfunction after carvedilol treatment. It also illustrates the possibility that carvedilol may be a first‐choice drug for the treatment of this disease.

Keywords: doxorubicin, cardiomyopathy, carvedilol

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