help me make some sense of this please...

[tsanjose]

i just had my 3 month echo. the technician told me my EF was at 57% (up from 52% two week post op). i was happy for that for sure. but when she started to use the doppler i noticed that there was some regurgitation. i asked about it and she said there was some. i asked if it was trace, mild, moderate, etc. but she said she couldn't tell me. i understand her not being in a position to say, but she already told me about my EF. so now, i feel like i'm being left hanging until my 3 mo cardio appt on 3/2. <sigh>

i took a look at my pre-op TEE and i actually had 65% EF even with 3 chords ruptured and leaking moderate to severe. i feel a little bummed that i still have some leakage even after my surgery with even less EF.

am i being too hard on myself?

 

[Zoltania]

I think you're being too hard on yourself. It's distressing not to hear numbers that sound like what you think the right numbers are, but, for one thing, these measurements are not exact. And, for all you know, your regurgitation is only trace or mild and nothing to worry about. Just hang in there until you can see your cardiologist and get the results put into context.

 

[tsanjose]

thanks zoltania. yeah i think i was just having one of those days today. was super pumped to have my echo done and then high hopes got the best of me i guess. i'll just have to sit tight and wait for 3/2 to come around.

btw, i don't know what happened with the double post. if a moderator is looking at this, please delete the other post.

 

[epstns]

Don't forget that the "trauma" of surgery may temporarily leave your heart working at less than its full future capacity. There is a lot of healing going on, and some of it takes a lot longer than folks expect. Although you may be healed enough to be released of all restrictions by 8 weeks or so, your heart will continue to heal and remodel for perhaps a full year. I know that is how ling it took for mine to reach its ultimate status.

Also, remember that the echo tech is bound by the rules and regulations established by the hospital or medical practice under which the echo is done. The technicians are trained to perform the tests, but they are not trained/certified in the interpretation of the results. They may, in fact, be as good at it as most docs, but their professional guidelines do not allow them to offer an interpretation of the results. This must be performed by a doctor, and most practice groups also dictate that even formal test results, fully interpreted, must be shared with the patient by a doctor. They do this so that when you get the results, if you have questions, these are answered by a board-certified doctor, rather than by a technician.

I've been going to the same cardio group for a number of years, and even though they have their own echo technicians, whom I've also known for a long time, the best I can get from a tech is when I ask if my results are "About the same as last time?" If I give them a statistic, they will say if the new result is similar or if I should talk with the doc.

 

[dornole]

Also, EF is a notoriously tricky thing for mitral valve regurgitation. The damaged heart compensates for the regurgitation somehow so that the EF appears artificially elevated. So it really has to be taken in the context of everything else. I'm guessing your technician remembered halfway through that she is *not* supposed to interpret the results. I wouldn't worry that it means your regurg is bad. Also, in my case I had repair for mitral stenosis (via balloon) and regurg was worse after (moderate), but 13 years later still waiting for next surgery (up to mod-severe regurg now and stenosis is returning so may be soon - I go back for TEE in July.) I hope you feel better and better and continue to see improvement from here.