Echo results

[G0dfather]

Hi

hope everyone well! I had mitral valve and tricuspid valve repair done last November so it's been 9 months.

Recently had an echo which showed EF of 35 to 40 which is reduced from pre op.Thing is the day before the echo I went to work still working full time. Came home did a 6 miles walk with my wife then did some weight training in the garage? I'm disappointed with the echo results but is it just really about how we feel most of the time.My cardiologist seems more concerned than I am ...

[RufusScamp]

How you feel is the important thing. I had a holiday walking in the alps walking further and higher than I had for some years. I came back to find I had an EF of 20%. It is now much improved, but I feel no different. The human body is a strange thing.

[NLGA in reply to RufusScamp]

I would never have thought that I worry about my EF of 50 that’s good to know

[Hidden]

Interested to read that you had tricuspid valve repair. My issue is with this valve. Do you feel better after having it repaired? I think alot is to do with how you feel. My echo I had indicated an ef of 40 to 44 percent estimate. And as my tricuspid valve issue is congenital then my ef may have always been within these figures.

[G0dfather in reply to Hidden]

Yes I feel better thats why I was surprised about the low EF. I guess all I can so is see if it improves with time

[Anon2023]

Hi. I had a mitral valve replacement and tricuspid repair in January. My ef dropped from 55 to 45. I’ve read that after the surgery ef can drop on a temporary basis. My reduced ef was due to infection (endocarditis) but it’s worth asking if yours could just be a temporary issue while your heart recovers from surgery.

I also wanted to add that echos are not always the best means of assessing ef. I was told in March that my ef was 45 and that I was in heart failure but today I’ve had an appointment with the heart failure team to be told that 45 was only an estimate as they couldn’t get clear enough pictures on the echo. I’ve had 5 months of worry over an estimate. Nobody mentioned it was an estimate at the time or that the echo wasn’t very clear. Next time they are going to do a perfusion scan which is a lot more accurate apparently. I hope you manage to get some clarity soon. Best wishes.