Heart murmur post op

[gary]

Subsequent to replacement of my aortic valve, I had anticipated that the murmur from it would eventually disappear, though I don't think I ever actually asked my Caridologist about it.

My question is: For all those who have had their AVR, particularly those with the Baxter Labs bovine pericaridal tissue valve, and no other issue, do you all still have what sounds like a 'blowing'
or whooshing 'beat' on the systole?

i.e. Whoooosh-dub, Whooosh-dub, Whoosh-dub when using a stethoscope at the mid-chest region, slightly to the right of the 3-4 intertcostal space?

The Loud murmur is evident in any position within the region but at that certain spot it is twice as loud as the murmur I had pre-op. I am told that it is nothing to e concerned about but was curious as to others' experience, or if they learned why it never went away.

My leaking mitral valve murmur a +1-2 seems all but gone, 2 years (TODAY!) post -op.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Gary-

My husband has had 2 valves replaced, aortic and mitral, with mechanicals. He had a murmur prior to surgery, and still has a murmur and will for the rest of his life. It was very loud before his last valve replacement, not as loud now, but still there.

I think this is a case of LWI (live with it), at least for Joe. His heart seems to be working well, despite the murmur. When he ventures out of the field of cardiology into other disciplines, those doctors always remark about it. But his cardiologist and cardiothoracic surgeon and PCP never bring it up as a problem.

 

[Peachy]

Hi Gary

A few days after I had my AVR replaced I had my heart beat recorded for research purposes. She played it back to me and the old heart murmur sound was gone and all I heard was a normal heart beat.

 

[alpage]

I managed to record my heartbeat both before and after surgery. Before surgery it was so loud that I could place my hand on my chest and feel the vibration.
Pre-Surgery Heartbeat

After surgery it's very quiet. You will have to turn up the volume quite a bit even to hear it.
Post-Surgery Heartbeat

These were recorded with a simple microphone and a pre-amplifier (with low-pass filter) that my brother built for me.

Alan

 

[sylgeren]

Absolutely Fantastic Heart Beat!!

Absolutely Fantastic Heart Beat!!

Alpage: Wow , what a interesting thing to hear on your computer. My whole family listened to it.. Quite real too!! Syl

 

[Mara]

Hi Gary
I had the Ross Procedure last July. I have what my cardio calls a "flow" murmur. But, it is no where close to as loud as my murmur was before the surgery. Before I could hear the murmur and my husband could hear it, too. You didn't need a stethoscope to hear it and for a long time every doc who heard it said something like "Wow! That's loud!"

If you are worried about, ask the cardio.

 

[gary]

Not worried so much as curious

Not worried so much as curious

I almost hesitate to even call it a 'murmur' since it's nothing at all like what the sound is like. This Whooosh!-dub---which my GP has said is nothing.

Well......."Nothing" doesn't quite do it for satisfaction. We who have had murmurs that were significant and early warning signs of eventual valve surgery do not rest easy....or at least I'm not and will call my Cardiologist at CCF to see what she says about it, since there seems to be widely differing experience here so far.

It probably is a 'flow murmur' but what does that mean? Is the blood rushing past the aperature, thru the AV leaflets and annulus on the outflow surge and is just loudly announcing itself?

That would satisfy me if that's what it is.

But the vague terms I have run into are just that--vague and confusing.

Don't have 'ears' in my pc here at work, but I'll listen to the audio later today.