Tissue 5.4 Year check up!

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Recently had a checkup for my AVR June 2009, the consultant had a listen with the stethoscope and said, sounds ok to me! see you in a year. I said is that all? said he will arrange an echo next year.
I must be OK!!!
Edwards Bovine Tissue, Oxford England
 
I do not mean to be the downer, but I have NEVER had a Cardio listen to my heart and assume that he had all the info to state the heart function was all good. I find that a little careless for your consultant to stop at just listening. There is much to be learned by additional testing. What if the heart function and/or size is changing? He could not tell that by listening. It may not be important now, but to be able to look year to year at the changes and the rate of changes could be beneficial.

I recognize that Cardios can tell a lot by listening. I even had a resident/fellow tell my Cardio that I had a Homograft valve just by listening, but I think he already new I had had a AVR.

Before my 1st AVR, my Cardio felt he knew my heart just by listening. He still did Echos. In the end, every 2nd opinion Cardio told me I needed surgery. I had surgery, and had a great recovery. Later, I ran into my previous Cardio who had the gall to say he still did not think I needed surgery. He was dead wrong, took chance with MY life and let his ego get in the way.
 
to put a positive spin on this I would say that for decades we had nothing more than stethoscope and ECG (that's Electro CardioGram which does nothing more than show your heart electrical impulses) and an X-Ray. Some of us survived those dark ages. Indeed I'd say that a trained clinicians ear can tell a lot from just simple observation with the human senses.

To the OP (Guest?) I'd say that at 5.4 years I'd expect a good report, that would be the "norm" and would begin being attentive at more like the 10 year mark.

Best Wishes
 
I had my visit with the cardio last week, and after asking many questions as to how I feeling, and then listening to my heart, she postponed my expected echo for another year. That's an interval of 3 years. I did ask her if she would hear a difference when the valve started to deteriorate, and she said she would hear it before I started having symptoms. Works for me!
 
Congratulations on a great checkup.

I have a mechanical and per my cardio the standard of care is an echo every 3-5 years after surgery. I took this to my surgeon and he said he did not know how often an echo should be done, but he would do it more often than every 5 years. I asked my cardio, and he said there is no insurance restriction as long as he orders it. We decided to do it at the three year mark, since I just had surgery in 2012.

I too had a BAV diagnosed at birth with a stethescope. There was no echo available. I got my first 20 years ago. My GP said, "Well due to your colon operation you've paid your deductible and maximum copay haven't you?" I answered yes. "Well lets get a baseline echo on that murmur." I got my next one 12 years later when my new GP said, "Your murmur sounds worse, let's do an echo." Then I was put on the every year echo due to stenosis.
 
Congratulations on a great checkup.

I am 57 and have a mechanical. Per my cardio an echo every 3-5 years after surgery is recommended in the US. I took this to my surgeon and he said he did not know how often an echo should be done, but he would do it more often than every 5 years. I asked my cardio, and he said there is no insurance restriction as long as he orders it. We decided to do it at the three year mark, since I just had surgery in 2012.

I too had a BAV diagnosed at birth with a stethescope. There was no echo available. I got my first 20 years ago. My GP said, "Well due to your colon operation you've paid your deductible and maximum copay haven't you?" I answered yes. "Well lets get a baseline echo on that murmur." I got my next one 12 years later when my new GP said, "Your murmur sounds worse, let's do an echo." Then I was put on the every year echo due to stenosis.
 
Now 73 have been 11 years with my bovine valve, living normal life with the standard meds statin etc. At 58 when first diagnosed my GP with a stethoscope let me listen to my heart then his, mine went bleep bleep splosh his did not have a splosh.
 

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