Heart Disease

Question

I have mild tricuspid regurgitation with right atrium and right ventricular.  Can you tell me what that means?

ed34 · Answer

Basically yes. Imagine it like this...
The Aortic valve stops blood flowing back from your body into the left ventricle. It holds back the blood at a higher pressure than exists in your relaxed left ventricle. The aorta is basically the arterial pressure in your body. So, let's assume it is around 80. This will be the diastole, relaxed pressure. Now your left ventricle is full of blood and starts to squeeze. The pressure builds up but the aortic valve has a pressure of 80 on the other side, so the ventricle has to build up a pressure greater than this to get blood out, to open that valve.  As the valve opens, the ventricle continues to contract, increasing pressure even more, up to 120-140. This is your systole pressure and as the ventricle relaxes, the pressure in the chamber sharply falls. The back pressure on the aortic valve closes it again, holding it shut until the next systole cycle. Most of the time the pressure in the left ventricle is lower than in your body, but the aorta is going to be a representation of your blood pressure. It's just another artery, the main one in fact in your arterial system which all other arteries are fed from. So, as other vessels branch off this, they become smaller and smaller as they branch out deep into your body to keep the pressure even.

DenTek · Answer

Thank you for the information.  Question:  During my angiogram my blood pressure was 143/81:HR 64 at presentation my Aortic pressure was 140/80
my left ventricle pressure was 140 and my LVEDP was 14.  Is the aortic and ventricle pressure the same as your blood pressure?   How is that related.

ed34 · Answer

As Flycaster correctly states, trivial-mild is fine and shouldn't present you with any symptoms. The valve between the two right chambers in your heart has a slight leak. However, some of the newer breed of Cardiologists are starting to investigate Mild leaks. The reason is, if an ongoing infection for example is the cause, it can quite quickly turn to moderate, and then severe. Valves are best dealt with at the earliest possible stage. If your blood work looks fine, and the pressures in your pulmonary system/chambers are fine, then the Cardiologist will likely ignore it.

Flycaster305 · Answer

Words like 'trivial' and 'mild in reference to valve leakage I think can be thought of as normal. No one has heart valves that are 100% efficient. I'd not worry a bit about it, but it's good to have a reference point going forward. If the diagnosis would shift to 'moderate' or 'severe', you would know you have an issue.