PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Leaking Heart Valves
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Old 28th Jan 2004, 06:32
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QDMQDMQDM
 
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I speak as a GP, not a specialist cardiologist. A leaking tricuspid valve is somewhat unusual and unless the leak is very major unlikely to be of major significance, I would have thought. The tricuspid valve prevents regurgitation of blood from the right ventricle to the right atrium, i.e. it's in the low pressure side of the system. Being on the right side, this abnormality leaves me a little baffled as to why you should have left ventricular hypertrophy and in any case a leaking atrioventricular valve doesn't result in hypertrophy as the pressure in the ventricle is lower at the end of systole, rather than too high. i.e. the ventricle is not contracting against an obstruction, such as a narrowed pulmonary or aortic valve or against a high pressure circulation, as occurs in severe hypertension which leads the heart muscle to enlarge.

On the bare facts so far, none of this quite adds up. Anyway, the fellow to tell you whether this will preclude a Class 1 medical is the approved cardiologist, surely, so why didn't he tell you?!

QDM

P.S, Unless there has been some confusion about 'tricuspid valve'? The aortic valve is generally tricuspid and rarely bicuspid. The cardiologist might have been referring to a 'tricuspid aortic valve' rather than 'the tricuspid valve' which separates the right ventricle and atrium.

Basically, not enough info by far. Go and see your GP like the man says!
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