mild mitral and tricuspid valvular insuffiency

[jviera]

I recently had a echocardiogram done  the interpretation was mild mitral and tricuspid valvular insufficiency and the aortic valve was 1.9 leaflet separation the right ventricle was 3.0 cm the left atrium was 3.6 cm and the aortic root was 2.5 cm.  

I am 43 years of age should I be concerned, should I see a heart doctor---- my family doctor said not to worry but i am worried

please help

[Momto3]

I know that mild valve regurgitation is very common.  If you would feel more comfortable, maybe you could take a copy of the echo tape to a cardio (for a second opinion).  I'm not very familiar with all of the numbers, but as I recall, these look within normal limits.  We have a couple of people on the Forum who know much more about echo interpretations, so hopefully, they'll see your post and comment.

[kenkeith]

Gosh!  Appropriate commas would give some clarity to your question!  Mild insufficiency is almost always considered insignificant...mitral valve is a one-way opening into the left ventricular chamber with less than 5% backflow (leakage) when closed.  

Leaflet separation metric gives some insight into whether or not there is aorta stenosis (narrowing). Aorta stenosis limits cardiac output with each stroke and burdens the heart's workload.

A less than 1.1cm aorta stenosis may be inferred as severe.  All dimensions are within the normal range.

[ibbrave]

hello-
i also have heart valve problems. i am only 30yrs old.
last year i began having chest pain and heart palps and went to er. they did a ekg and blood work along w/some chest x-rays.
they found absolutely nothing and sent me home.
4months later all when summer come in i felt much better.
but this Christmas i felt worse than last year. much worse!!! I went to dr. and to er and they did more tests that come back fine.
Then i requested an echo to be done and thats when i got the news of my heart valves.
It showed that the strength of my heart was perfect and also that i had 3 mild leakey valves. 1) mitral valve regurgitation w/out prolapse 2) tricuspid valve insuff. 3) pulmonary insuff.  
I was sooo scared. I get heaviness in my chest that feels like im having a hard time breathing although i am breathing perfectly fine. My dr. said it is nothing to stress about and not to worry. She told me i did'nt have to go running to see a cardiologist. She told me also that she'll run an echo on me once a year or every 2yrs.
I went to a cardio anyways. He did a 24 hr. heart holter and it come back ok. I asked him about the leaky heart valves and he looked at me and said "Don't worry you'll outlive those leaky valves." So coming from a heart specialist i felt much more relieved!!!
They did tell me that before surgerys or getting your teeth cleaned or any dental work done that you'll need to be put on antibiotics. This is because bacteria could get into your blood stream and go to those leaky valves and infect them. Which can be fatal if not taken care of.
If you would feel better going to a cardio dr. then i would do it.
But he'll probably tell you the same thing your dr. told you.
Trust me i was told in Feb. this year and even though, i do begin to worry some times.
I have 2 young boys and i thought that my life was soon to be over when i was told.
She did put me on an beta blocker to keep my heart rate down so there isn't so much stress put on the heart.

I hope what i told you makes you feel a little better about things!!
I also wish you the best!!!!:)

[jackie282]

i wish you the best i was .
just told i have trace tricuspid insuff he told me not to worry . but i worry alot.

[kenkeith]

QUOTE:
____________________________________________________________________

"They did tell me that before surgerys or getting your teeth cleaned or any dental work done that you'll need to be put on antibiotics. This is because bacteria could get into your blood stream and go to those leaky valves and infect them. Which can be fatal if not taken care of"
____________________________________________________________________.
Your cardiac doctor is not current on their knowledge regarding valve disorders/antibiotics for dental procedures.

For decades, the American Heart Association  (AHA) recommended that patients with certain heart conditions take antibiotics shortly before dental treatment. This was done with the belief that antibiotics would prevent infective endocarditis, previously referred to as bacterial endocarditis. IE is an infection of the heart’s inner lining or valves, which results when bacteria enter the bloodstream and travel to the heart. Bacteria normally are found in various sites of the body including on the skin and in the mouth.

The AHA’s latest guidelines were published in its scientific journal, Circulation, in April 2007 and there is good news: the AHA recommends that most of these patients no longer need short-term antibiotics as a preventive measure before their dental treatment.

The guidelines are based on a growing body of scientific evidence that shows the risks of taking preventive antibiotics outweigh the benefits for most patients. The risks include adverse reactions to antibiotics that range from mild to potentially severe cases. Inappropriate use of antibiotics can also lead to the development of drug-resistant bacteria.
The guidelines say patients who have taken prophylactic antibiotics routinely in the past but no longer need them include people with:

mitral valve prolapse
rheumatic heart disease
bicuspid valve disease
calcified aortic stenosis
congenital heart conditions such as ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The new guidelines are aimed at patients who would have the greatest danger of a bad outcome if they developed a heart infection.