Final answer:
The most appropriate information to provide a patient newly diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy is to notify the health care provider about any symptoms such as shortness of breath. Additionally, treatment includes medication, a low-salt diet, and a supervised exercise program.
Step-by-step explanation:
A patient with acute dyspnea diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy will require important lifestyle modifications and medical treatment to manage their condition. The most appropriate information to teach the patient, according to the options provided, would be to notify the health care provider about symptoms such as shortness of breath (option d). This is crucial because monitoring the symptoms can help manage the condition and implement changes in treatment as necessary.
While a heart transplant may become necessary in some cases, it is not usually the immediate step after diagnosis (option a). Elevating the legs above the heart level may provide temporary relief for some circulatory issues but does not address the underlying heart function directly related to dyspnea (option b). Careful compliance with diet and medications is indeed important to help manage heart failure; however, it's important to understand that while such measures can prevent some complications and slow the progression of heart failure, they do not fully prevent it (option c).
Cardiologists are specialists who can provide comprehensive treatment plans that typically include prescribed medications, lifestyle changes such as the reduction of table salt in the diet, and recommendation of a supervised exercise program.