system
Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
user
A 33-year-old woman schedules an appointment at an outpatient clinic for the first time after moving to the US from Peru a few months ago. She complains of easy fatigability and shortness of breath with minimal exertion for the past 6 months. She further adds that her breathlessness is worse when she goes to bed at night. She is also concerned about swelling in her legs. As a child, she says she always had sore throats. She does not smoke or drink alcohol. Medical records are unavailable, but the patient says that she has always been healthy apart from her sore throats. The blood pressure is 114/90 mm Hg, the pulse is 109/min, the respiratory rate is 26/min, and the temperature is 36.7°C (98°F). On examination, she is icteric with distended jugular veins. Bilateral basal crepitations are audible on auscultation of the lungs. Also, a high-pitched apical holosystolic murmur is audible that radiates to the left axilla. A transthoracic echocardiogram reveals mitral regurgitation with an ejection fraction of 25%. Treatment should focus on which of the following?
assistant
Decrease total peripheral resistance