40yo female born with a congenital heart defect. Had a Ross Procedure in 2000 to replace a bicuspid aortic valve with my own pulmonary valve. In 2007 the surgery had failed and I had a pulmonary valve replacement, tricuspid repair and a right ventricle patch. I experience shortness of breath upon exercising and when laying down. My ECHO, according to my cardiologist, says everything is fine and my shortness of breath has been diagnosed to be allergies. I do have a concern about the my aortic valve peak gradient and my pulmonic valve’s peak gradient. My ECHO in 2014 showed that my aortic valves peak gradient was 12.3mmHg, peak velocity was 1.8m/s and mean gradient was 7.8mmHg. Last month my aortic valve’s peak gradient was 5mmHg, peak velocity was 1.1m/s and mean gradient is 2mmHg. My pulmonic valve’s peak gradient in 2014 was 33.6mmHg, peak velocity was 2.9m/s, and mean gradient was 19.7mmHg. This year my peak gradient is 26mmHg, peak velocity 2.5m/s, and mean gradient 13mmHg.
My cardiologist says everything looks great, but come of those numbers have changed a lot. Why are they not concerned with some of those numbers? Also, my EF was 61-65% in 2015 and is now 50-55%. Did the numbers improve or get worse?
EF did get worse but still not a concern
Your numbers may seem to you extremely changed but they are completely great in both valves and in both years
Good Luck
This is consider worsening not improving but they are still fine ..I recommend following up regularly for your EF as it is border line at 50% ..
Thanks.
hi
st your age,EF should be above 60 %.
Other gradients and velocities have definitely down-graded.
you need to do more cardio exercises and improve heart functioning.
regular follow ups and 2-D echoes should be done to keep a watch on these quotients.
take a second opinion from another cardiologist.
thanks
HI
EF IS STILL GOOD THOUGH IT SHOWS REDUCTION AS COMPARED TO OLDER ONES.
OTHER REPORTS ARE DEFINITELY WORTH CONCERN BUT WELL ABOVE ALARMING RANGES.
NEED NOT WORRY.
STAY HEALTHY AND FIT
hello there
i agree with you that the recent figures are something to worry about if you compare them with the previous ones.
you need to do more of cardio exercises and build up on cardiac strength.
if your exercise tolerance is good enough,then you need not worry about these figures.
Daily exercises should be your corner stone concern….
Walk every day for 15- 30 mins.. its gonna change your quality of life to a better level…