Shortness of breath question

[palmaceae]

I have a technical question, why does aortic regurgitation cause shortness of breath? Just wondering why physically, because when the aortic valve leaks, the blood already picked up the oxygen from the lungs and is headed for the the rest of the body and I realize, maybe incorrectly that the same amount of blood still gets to the body, but the heart has to work harder to do it?
Sometimes I think too much

 

[pnwcoast]

Check here

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec03/ch028/ch028e.html

Not enough blood getting through the body.

 

[Dina]

Yes the heart has to work alot harder without an effective valve.
If you really want to know the pathology,get a first year anatomy and
physiology book, so this way you have the foundation. I took it in school
and I still need it.

 

[Eva]

I have a technical question, why does aortic regurgitation cause shortness of breath? Just wondering why physically, because when the aortic valve leaks, the blood already picked up the oxygen from the lungs and is headed for the the rest of the body and I realize, maybe incorrectly that the same amount of blood still gets to the body, but the heart has to work harder to do it?
Sometimes I think too much

With Aortic regurgitation the blood does not go all the way up to the rest of the body! The more severe the regurgitation...the less blood is pushed up as the valve does not contract/close completely, so most the blood goes backward to the heart. So you only get oxygen as much as the amount that was pumbed up only. Over time, having the heart work harder to compensate and with all the blood that fall back, the ventricle becomes enlarged with time. This is why surgery should take place before permanent damage happens to the heart's chamber. Most of the light enlargement can be reversible after the surgery.

 

[AgilityDog]

TRUST ME! With even moderate aortic regurge, my body Does Not get enough blood or oxygen exchange during exercise. I can last through 15 or so obstacles on the agility course (novice level), but 21 (excellent level) is just about out of reach for me! I try to remember to rev up my pacemaker/ICD before I run, to get the oxygen going.

The other night my agility instructor hollered at me, as I was gasping for air after a run: "Hey, Laurie, I don't have a defibrillator!" To which I replied, of course, "It's implanted already!"