New alarming echo results

A-Fib ablation in 2018 basically corrected the problem but occasionally still have a spurt here and there. Nothing sustained. On eliquis now for probably the rest of my life. During ablation they found a congenital ASD. Not very large, no bad shunting, basically asymptomatic so didn’t encourage closure at that point. I have annual echos to check everything.
Last year echo was unremarkable with a slightly elevated Pulmonary pressure of 34 and mildly dilated right ventricle. Nothing has changed over the year in regard to diet, symptoms, normal weight, blood pressure, etc… BUT!!! Yesterday I had an echo that showed an enlarged right ventricle with a pulmonary pressure of 63. Now I have an appointment with a cardiac surgeon to discuss possibly closing the ASD. Everything I read says high pulmonary pressure is progressive, irreversible and is basically a death sentence in the next five years or so. I have a couple of major questions…Why such a large change over only one year with no changes in lifestyle, etc… Anyone else deal with this and how have you approached therapies and what are outcomes you are expecting? Appreciate any ideas or encouragement! Thanks in advance.

I'm sorry to see this from you. I don't know if you have had an extensive explication and reference material given to you about your options, and I don't know anything about it myself. But, I would think a physician would have given you plenty to learn about and have explained what is typically the next step for your management. Hopefully it isn't quite as cut-'n-dried or as dire as it must seem to you.

Our bodies are dynamic conglomerations of specialized cells in a shared body that agree to work together....somehow. Even over a couple of weeks a system can change for some idiopathic reason and begin to shut down, or morph *as our hearts do when subject to arrythmias and myocyte changes, or in response to endocrine changes, or to pathogens. I know it may seem sudden and shocking, but the sudden part means that it was not expected, even if it was underway during the prior scan and just not yet evident sufficiently for the resolution of the imaging device*s). Or due to the skill of the analytical team, or of their experience. I suspect that your ASD was indeed developing, and with a rise in BP came an acceleration. I dunno....it's just a guess, but I suspect this must be the reasonable explanation.

When it comes to our hearts, at least I can speak for myself, I was greatly ill-at-ease when I was in AF. While drugs worked for a while, a good three years, suddenly one wheel went past me down the highway, and then another....and they were from my bus. I knew I had to get any help other than the failing drugs, and fortunately the reasonable option of an ablation was offered to me. Maybe they can repair your defect, even if it requires open heart, and then get you on the mend again...? Your ventricular enlargement might be stopped that way.

I hope to hear back from you before too long that you and your care-givers have a solid plan and that they are optimistic for you.

Inboxing you

Quote

Everything I read says high pulmonary pressure is progressive, irreversible and is basically a death sentence in the next five years or so.

I had elevated pulmonary pressure a few years ago after developing severe mitral valve regurgitation. It was not as high as yours but it was still something worth noting raising concern. I had my mitral valve repaired and my pulmonary pressure has returned to normal levels. I haven’t done the research but is ASD normally associated with raised pulmonary pressure? Just anecdotally, another patient who was found to have elevated pulmonary pressure has been prescribed Farxiga which is evidently often prescribed by cardiologists for this situation. Hope you find some clarity around this.

Sorry for my ignorance but what does inboxing mean?

Quote
Robbiecriss
Sorry for my ignorance but what does inboxing mean?

It's an unusual way of saying she's sending you a PM (private message). Look up on the right side of the window right above the green bar. See the link to Private Messages? If that link is bold, it means you have a PM waiting for you to read.

Quote
Robbiecriss
Sorry for my ignorance but what does inboxing mean?

as Carey explained. I sent a private message. On my computer it is in the upper right. I have had some various diagnoses over the years. I just don't lay it all out on the forum. Happy to discuss in private. If you can't find it I'll list a few things here that I know.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/2024 10:41PM by bettylou4488.