I recently had a routine echocardiogram. After this was completed the technician showed me the "pictures" etc., and explained what I could see on the screen. (I have seen this on previous echo's.) and he suggested everything seemed much the same as before. To which, I replied, that my meds seem to keep things fairly stable. His response was something like "They are for your AF, that's nothing to do with this."
Then i received a copy of the letter my Consultant sent to my GP :- quoting:-
"Your recent echocardiogram was reassuring. The pumping function of your heart remains normal. and the regurgitation across your mitral valve remains only mild".
This is obviously good news, but I am now very confused...........so AF and heart function are not connected?? Is that right? I thought the echo was to give an indication of how my heart was coping and/or affected by AF??
Does it bear no relation to my AF at all then???
Please can someone explain??
Feeling stupid!!!
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Wightbaby
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I'm not medically trained Wightbaby but I thought that one of the reasons for having and echo was to determine whether or not the heart has enlarged due to working harder to compensate for the reduced function caused by AF.....maybe I'm wrong, will be interesting to hear what others might say.....whatever, it all sounds good for you!!
No that sounds correct Flapjack. That is what my cardiologist explained to me after my echo. They check my heart periodically to make sure the heart is physically staying healthy despite the stress AF episodes may have on it.
My understanding is that AF can happen in an otherwise healthy heart but that AF can cause the heart to develop an enlarged left atrium. Normal valve function should not be affected by AF BUT a leaking valve can cause back pressure in the left atrium which in turn can cause it to become enlarged and when that happens the natural pathways can fail and AF develop. So there is a correlation but not quite the way you thought. Had your meds not been controlling the AF and or your mitral valve started leaking badly things may not look so good.
Thanks Bob....that sounds slightly foreboding, but as things seem stable, I will not dwell on it.
I hope you are keeping warm over there in the West Country...we had alittle snow on the IOW the other night........I imagine its also a bit chilly round Fremington way at this time of year!! : )
Are you having your echos. on the nhs and are they offering them to you or are you asking and being granted them as and when you want them? They are not offered locally until you 'need' one.It sounds as though yours are being offered as a precaution so as preventive medicine.I am hoping to get one very soon......after 8 plus years with Af!
I thought to myself "well I am stuck with this condition and I want it monitored to see if it is getting any worse". This is because I went from diagnosis to blood clot to persistent in a fairly short time.
So when I saw my consultant I said to him that I would like a routine check up/cardiogram every 18 months to 2 years, as suggested by the AFA!! He didn't argue.
I think i can thank Beancounter for that suggestion!! ; )
Well done!I know i have taken too long to get my checks done......the consultant today thought I had fallen off the list!! But finally got an excellent check up by a lady who clearly knew what was what and I shall get an echo within 6 weeks.The good news was that so far she was very happy with ecg and heart rate and everything else cardiac.She had read my notes well and knew the surgeon who closed the hole in my heart and said she will call him if she does not like the look of the echo.She also thinks I am being undertreated re. thyroid(a long story) and expects my gp to put in place a beta blocker that she feel sure will perk me up even further....there will be stopping me now!
Echos shouldn’t cost so much, surely? I thought it was routine when diagnosed with AF to see there was an underlying problem with the heart caused by the AF. I would ask for one.
I would say you are exactly right. In the context of your PAF, the echo findings of note will presumably be left atrial size, the degree of mitral regurgitation (MR) and the left ventricular ejection fraction.
I would be surprised if mild MR is commonly a cause of PAF, if LA size is normal.
It sounds to me as though the technician was just that - A technician trained to read echocardiograms, but not medically trained in the uses of echocardiograms, or in the connections between them and AF and the meds for AF. So . . . listen to what the consultant has said. He knows exactly why he wanted the echocardiogram done. Your meds are doing their job!
I only had one echo and it was to see if I had a leaky valve. Luckily I didn't.
I am not a Dr. but your letter seems to indicate they are monitoring how much your's is leaking and they are happy with what they saw. I would read into it that at this point it doesn't seem they feel the need to monitor for other problems. I would take it as a win. You should have a discussion with your Dr. if you any concerns.
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