I have had a heart attack. Can I still receive Adriamycin® (doxorubicin)?
Doxorubicin has the potential to cause heart damage after certain cumulative dose has been reached. Heart function of patients is assessed before giving them doxorubicin. Your doctor should do the same and you should discuss it in more detail with him or her. One should point out that a heart attack is usually due to impaired blood supply to a portion of the heart muscle, whereas doxorubicin can cause global weakening of the heart muscle, impairing its pumping action. These are, therefore, different mechanisms of heart damage, and a small previous heart attack may not necessarily preclude use of doxorubicin if the pump function of your heart is adequate. This is called “ejection fraction” and can be measured by an echocardiogram or MUGA scan. Your physician will order one of these tests to asses your heart function and tell you whether it is safe or not.
Related Questions
- My doctor wants to give me Ellence® (epirubicin) instead of Adriamycin® (doxorubicin) because he believes it will be less damaging to my heart. Is that true?
- Does a heart attack or stroke fit the category of life or limb threatening?
- I have had a heart attack. Can I still receive Adriamycin® (doxorubicin)?
