Dilated Descending Aorta/Aortic Valve?
368832
Nikki - I'm happy to give you some information as a cardiologist, but the best thing for you to do is to go back and see your cardiologist in order to have these questions answered because there are several things important to making a diagnosis that you don't mention.  One of the big factors is how old you are and what your risk factors for coronary disease are (high blood pressure, lipid levels, family history, whether you smoke).  Also, it helps to know what brings on your shortness of breath and/or chest discomfort.  Is it with activity only?  Does it happen at random?  How long does it last?  What makes it go away?\n\nLet's talk about your bicuspid aortic valve first.  A bicuspid aortic valve is an aortic valve that has developed abnormally such that two of the three cusps have fused into one.  There are two main issues with this.  The first is that bicuspid aortic valves have a much higher than normal tendency to become stenotic, meaning it can become calcified, hardened, and interfere with the normal ejection of blood from your heart.  The first sign of this would be a heart murmur.  Over time, if the valve becomes severely stenosed, it can cause chest pain, shortness of breath with activity, or fainting spells.  Patients with bicuspid aortic valves should undergo routine echocardiograms every one to two years to assess the valve function.  Once the valve becomes severely stenosed, surgery to replace the valve should be discussed.  Not all patients with bicuspid valves will go on to have aortic stenosis, but those that do typically require surgery in their 40's or 50's.\n\nThe second issue with patients with bicuspid aortic valves is that they commonly have aneurysms (or dilatation) of the aortic root and/or ascending aorta.  This is important because patients with a bicuspid aortic valve are also at a higher risk for dissection (a tear in the lining of the aorta) than other patients with the same degree of aortic dilatation.  Therefore, this is also something that should be followed by serial echocardiograms.  The recommendation for surgery in a patient with bicuspid aortic valve is an ascending aortic aneurysm of approximately 5.0 to 5.5cm, but this varies somewhat from doctor to doctor.  (This is a bit earlier than would be recommended for a patient without a bicuspid aortic valve.)\n\nBeta-blockers, such as atenolol, have been shown in one study to reduce the rate of growth of the ascending aorta in a group of young males with Marfan syndrome.  Since patients with bicuspid aortic valves have histologically similar changes in their aortas, this data has been extrapolated and applied to patients with bicuspid aortic valves as well.  While there are no hard and fast rules, I would personally keep all patients with a bicuspid aortic valve and an enlarged aortic root on beta-blockers for life.  This reduces the blood pressure and amount of stress placed on the wall of the aorta, and this is how it is thought to reduce growth of the aneurysm.  For this reason, patients with a dilated aortic root and/or ascending aorta are advised to restrict their activity to moderate aerobic exercise (no training for marathons or that sort of thing) and no isometric exercises.  That's primarily heavy weight lifting, but really includes any activities where you Valsalva (straining, such as when you're constipated), so stomach crunches are sort of on the borderline of what would be recommended.\n\nTwo last thing about bicuspid aortic valves... there is a strong familial tendency, so most cardiologists would screen siblings of patients with a bicuspid aortic valve as well.  Also, as one of the previous doctors recommended, you should have a prescription to take antibiotic prophylaxis before dental procedures to prevent infection of the valve.  By the same token, you should make sure you get regular dental care because poor dental health increases your risk as well.\n\nNow regarding the shortness of breath and che
270839
check http://www.heart.org/
955278
By what information you have given me my 1st guess would be cardiogenic shock. But you don't say why the thoracotomy was preformed. Was it for heart, heart valves, lung, thorasic aorta, esphageal or spine surgery. You also don't say wether this patient had a cardiac or pulmonary arrest or if both which occured 1st. I chose cardiogenic shock 1st due to all the already existing cardiac issues and additional symptoms. Was the CHF ( which  pulmonary edema is a symptom) caused by the cardiomegaly , the A-fib, the MV prosthesis or a combination of some or all. You also mentioned a previous CABG, but you didn't mention any myocardial injury occuring. This pt. not only had mechanical issues but also had electrical problems as demonstrated by the A-fib and the RBBB. The pulmonary involvement sounds more like it's due to all the cardiac problems. You mentioned hypotention but not whether it was due to medication or if it was a symptom of the cardiomegaly. You mentioned oliguria but nothing of CRF or even ARF post surgery. So was this a new onset? You give no lab values that could indicate organ functions. Sooooooooo. I still stand with cardiogenic shock as my 1st choice (chosen from all the cardiac envolvement and the possibility that he could have thrown a clot [a-fib, PMV and had to be taken off thinners for the surgery] and had an MI. The symptoms of hypotention & oliguria occur in cardiogenic shock). My 2nd choice would be a CVA ( due to the A-fib the PMV and the fact he had to be off anticoagulants for the thoracotomy. 3rd and lastly alcohol withdrawal (just kidding! Really I was just kidding!)
688875
Ignore the first comment; the person didn't realize that's a nerve bundle block and not an artery blockage.\n\nBasically the depolarization/repolarization of the left ventrical will be slightly slower because the impulse has to use an alternate path around the ventricle. The reason for the blockage is usually unknown. This slight delay in the depolarization results in the widening of the QRS. Fortunately it's not normally something to worry about. I know someone who's lived with it for years and hasn't had any complications, just a slightly different looking ECG.
709321
It could be aortic stenosis, but without knowing what test you were having done at the time these reading were taken it is difficult to give you a more specific answer.
294509
The entire LV wall function is not contracting / relaxing fully to its limit.\n\nWALL MOTION ABNORMALITIES\nNormally the contraction of the heart has a wringing motion, due to the arrangement of cardiac muscle fibers. For global evaluation, 2-D each is a useful tool. The SAX planes show all of the walls, except the apex. The best blood supply is at the base of the heart. \n\n\nHYPERDYNAMIC \ncompensatory decrease in systolic wall thickening \n\n\nHYPOKINETIC \nslow moving wall shows decrease in fractional shortening \n\n\nAKINETIC \nwall may thin in systole \n\n\nPARADOXIC \nwall motion is compensatory and moves opposite of normal \n\n\nDYSKINETIC \nwall motion compensates for abnormal adjacent walls
356319
Cutting the aorta will kill you in seconds, but it's very hard to get to (thank goodness!)\n\nOh and by the way, check these out:
214967
Maybe, but the risk is high\n\n"Pregnancy:\n \nAs more women with Turner syndrome complete pregnancy thanks to the new modern techniques to treat infertility, it has to be noted that pregnancy may be at risk for cardiovascular complications.\n\nIndeed several studies had suggested an increased risk for aortic dissection in pregnancy (Lin et al, 1998). Three deaths have even been reported. The influence of oestrogen has been examined but remains unclear. It seems that the high risk of aortic dissection during pregnancy in women with Turner syndrome may be due to the increased hemodynamic load rather than the high oestrogen rate (Elsheikh et al, 2002).\n\nOf course these findings are important and need to be remembered while following a pregnant patient with Turner syndrome. "
392533
Look at this website and get to a doctor immediately!!\n\nhttp://www.heartinfo.org/hrtatkang.html
962796
They are doing wonderful surgeries that are not as invasive, with much less recovery time at the Clevland Clinic on mitral valve replacement. There is a doctor there who was the first to develop it. Click on Clevland Clinic's web site. Good luck and prayers to your grandma.
1048135
What you are experiencing is not a murmur, it is "palpitations".  It probably is an irregular heart beat, possibly something called "premature ventricular contractions" or "PVC's", but only a doctor can tell you for sure.  This is something that I would definitely see a doctor about.\n\nPVC's can often be greatly reduced by staying off caffeine and certain medications.  PVC's are only one possible cause of palpitations though.  You really should get this checked.\n\nYou can learn more about PVC's here:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premature_ventricular_contraction
1024838
I'm not a surgeon but have a lot of personal experience with angioplasty.  Arrhythmia can be detected on an ECG as it is an abnormal beat.  If it develops there are numerous options to control from pace makers to medication.  Just depends on the type.  Aortic diseases refer to blockage in the aorta.  This is the major artery in the body as all blood flows through it and it supplies all organs except the lungs with oxygenated blood.  Like any artery it can become diseased and block off.  This artery is checked when the doctor performs the angiogram.  (If the doctor accessed the heart by going through the groin then he entered the aorta to get to the heart) This artery can be cleared as any other and if the blockage is serious enough they can bypass it using an artificial artery.\n\nRelaxing will be a key to feeling better.  Any heart procedure can be scary and it takes awhile to get a good mental control over the episode.  Just don't dwell on it.  It may not be a bad idea to consult a mental health clinic.  Just like any organ the brain is subject to some strange reactions.  Mental health clinics are a good source of professionals trained to deal with things such as anxiety and depression which can occur after a heart procedure.\n\nGood luck and i hope your father is soon better.
55269
I've never heard of this, so first of all my thoughts are with your family.  I knew strokes, heart attacks and those types of things didn't only happen to "older" people anymore, but that they were also happening to people as young as their 20's.  I had absolutely no idea, I am going to try to look this up tho, as I have two young children.  Were there any symptoms, something long coming that didn't get noticed because it was also considered a normal thing?  I hope he stays strong and has a great turn around back to good health.
966537
It might be a problem with an iron or steel stent.   Ask the doc.
839782
From what I have found (which wasn't much) it seems to be a surgical procedure.  I will add the sites I have looked at but the are very technical and aimed at surgeons.\nI hope they will be of some help to you.
819676
It's probably more annoying than life-threatening.  Sometimes a compressed vertrebral disk or spinal nerve can do this.  You have not described cardiac involvement.  Please don't ask for an online diagnosis and ignore any that you are given.  I suggest you see your health care provider for evaluation.
504334
My husband has had 4 bypass surgeries in the last 15 years. Over the years his heart has become weaker and unable to pump the blood efficiently. He has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He takes care of himself and gets plenty of exercise. Coronary artery disease is one of the causes of CHF. As time passes her heart could become weaker and she could have CHF. Only time will tell. I've just spent some time looking up information on CHF on webmd.com so that I can understand it better and be able to help my husband. I have a lot of reading to do. If you want to see what I found: http://www.webmd.com/content/article/51/40650.htm.\n\nIt would be wise for your mother-in-law to go to cardiac rehab when her doctor says she's healed from the surgery. My husband went to rehab (out-patient) after his last bypass surgery in 2003 and had a much better recovery! I pray things go well for her. God bless!