RECAP #2 Tricuspid Regurg w/L-atrium dilation

I fell like such a dork!  I found "systolic pressure" as RVSP 31 mmHg on the ECG.  oy vay.  I'm done - going to see what is on Turner Classic Movies!  Thanks for any and all input, and have a great weekend!  kd

[PikaPika88]

What's wrong with RVSP 31 mmHg?  I got 2 echoes, one was 28 and the other one was 33.  Doctors said "normal".

[Kathiegal]

I don't know . . . "normal" is usually 15-25mmHg.  Since mine is 31 in combo w/dilated L atrium, family history of heart disease and A-fib, I'm concerned.

[PikaPika88]

Thanks for the info.  My echo report didn't give me the normal range.  I realised the doctor reported that echo only mentioned "Normal" evidences.  Abnormal one, he skipped!  I also got A-Fib, some echo said with enlarged left atrium, some said with enlarged left ventricle.  Current one said all normal size.  X-ray showed enlarged heart!.

[kenkeith]

Are sure it was an EKG that provided RVSP?  Usually it is an echo and more accurately a cath placed inside the ventricle.  A high RVSP can/will enlarge the right side chambers as the right chamber is pumping aginst higher resistence and increases the workload.  If the right side does not supply an adequate amount of blood to the lungs (rightside failure), the reduction of blood may/will decrease to the leftside to be pumped into circulationuon, and that can cause leftside chamber enlargement and heart failure.

For some insight, RVSP is used to estimate right side pressures in the vessels leading to the lungs. This is used to determine pulmonary hypertension. A normal value is less than 35 mmHg. A reading above 40 mmHg would be considered mild pulmonary hypertension. This can be diagnosed by an echocardiogram, but if a patient is having severe shortness of breath, sometimes a right heart catheterization will be performed to measure pressures invasively to get a much more accurate picture of the heart pressures and which medical regimen would best benefit the patient.

[nickppatel]

kenkeith is right.  31 should be OK.  See this summary of 2 large, fairly recent studies:

http://www.circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/106/5/e19