I have a few questions because I was instructed not to lift more than 10 lbs and that I could resume surfing in a year. Hamilton mother of twins, Cherie was diagnosed with bicuspid aortic valve disease (BAVD), a disease where the valve has only two leaflets. There are simply no reports that describe the experience of athletes returning to ECer ise (or training) after aortic dissection. And, of course, its important to monitor over time the function of the prosthetic aortic valve and the size of the aorta. Advice in this area must be individualized with your doctor(s). My problem is a perpetual fear and worry about having this diagnosis and having to someday undergo open heart surgery. Common symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness and fainting. The thing that keeps me sane is that I can jump on a treadmill or go play basketball for a few hours and feel relatively normal. Any guidelines? Since then I completed several 10k races and one half-marathon. When there is narrowing (stenosis) or leakage (regurgitation) of the aortic valve, the heart must do extra work. James Cameron checks in from Pandora with a status report. Together, you should be able to settle on what sports activities will be safe based on those facts. Patients need operation if there is severe stenosis or regurgitation of the aortic valve.or if the nearby aorta becomes moderately enlarged. Anyway, it has slowed to 1 mm per year, and, via email, Dr. Dietz has suggested we may consider a switch to 300 mg Libersartan? I started experiencing palpitations last year along with several instances of light-headedness. I had a Bentall with mechanical valve done in Feb 2017. Thanks for sharing. One situation that seems particularly ripe for differences of opinion is that of the athlete with BAV, no significant stenosis or regurgitation, but with an aortic diameter of 4.5 to 5.0 cm. 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For these individuals, provided there is no other relevant heart disease, it may be appropriate to have follow-up echocardiogram and/or CT scanning every 2 years. What activities can I do? Again, there are ACC/AHA guidelines for when operation is needed: Sometimes more than one indication for operation may be present, so there is the additional guideline for patients who need operation for aortic stenosis or regurgitation: I know from discussion with athletes over the past few years that there are differences of opinion among cardiologists and heart surgeons about these guidelines. He isnt interested in anything else. I am a 28yr old male, and Ive just found out about my BAV. The procedure has the potential to bring the aorta to 4.3/4.4 and avoid further enlargement. Consensus guidelines from the Proceedings of the 36th Bethesda Conference recommend: The first recommendation does not include the endurance sports. I feel like 95% of other people my doc sees are just happy to get back to their normal life which doesnt include pushing their bodies to extreme limits. 1. But Bob, you confirm that it does for you; and unfortunately I see same for me although 25 years younger. I have almost everyday all day shortness of breath which follows with chest pain and discomfort. That said I have a resting HR of ~40 (always have). The actress, 44, found out she had a leaky valve in 2002. If the valve does not close completely, blood can leak into the heart. Although bicuspid . No other issues. Anyway, I will continue with running as much as I can, and now I have an excuse for my lousy performance. Only your cardiologist and heart surgeon will be in a position to make those considerations. This have affected my son psychologically since he loves playing soccer what should I do. A 2nd opinion might help by bringing another set of eyes and ears to your problem. 24 HOUR GYM Very helpful. In the 2.5 years from surgery, I returned back to riding within the first 3 months and later back to longer, decent training pace rides and racing but feel like I have lost my top end mojo. Call 911. . I inderstand that my resistance training will likely be severely curtailed from this point forward, but severe restrictions on my endurance training will be a very difficult pill to swallow. Bicuspid aortic value ppg 24 mmhg My son is devastated, depressed, and wanted to play ball in college. In the simplest terms, a bicuspid aortic valve can be a serious heart valve disorder in which the valve only has two leaflets, or flaps, that control blood flow through the heart. Left Ventricular Mass (LV mass/BSA 93g/m2| 114 g/m2, Septal thickness 0.93 cm|1.0-1.1 cm, Posterior wall thickness 0.93 cm|1.0 cm). Down side: durabilitythe borrowed valve doesnt last forever; it will deteriorate and need re-replacement at some point. Options for operation Now, five months after surgery Im gradually returning to sport with 5km runs and kettlebell routine, push ups and pull ups (still feeling pressure in breast bone) no heavy lifting. Sbp. "I Googled 'womens' heart attack symptoms,' " her blog post continued. Star Jones. The tragic event's silver lining was that it caused Latifah, 46, and her mother, 67, to bond. I was concerned about his cough last weekend so I was assessing his lungs with my stethoscope when I heard a very pronounced diastolic murmur at his 3rd ICS. If 5% of them dissect, this means 313,914 people. is my lack of top end performance indicative of someone with BAV & aortic coarctation? There is a risk of sudden death in individuals with BAV, probably related most to aortic stenosis or aortic dissection/rupture. Thats about as specific as he got. Hey is a frustrated guy. This is an unfortunate situation for the athlete patient because the consensus guidelines do not yet recommend operation, yet advise against strenuous sports activities. Although bicuspid aortic valves can occur . If so, how quickly? Thank you for best websit. eventually was told everything was ok. I continued playing hockey routinely until I was in my late twenties. . The false lumen extending into the abdominal aorta was left since the point of origin in the ascending aorta was repaired. Not only the degree of aortic regurgitation, but also the degree of enlargement of the nearby aorta, should be taken into consideration when settling on limits for exercise. I am a 48yo competitive cyclist who is very concerned with being able to return to my former ability to hit high effort levels following open heart surgery. On said it wont make a real difference, the other said oh yes, that was like a blockage, you will feel the difference. However, his ascending aorta has been enlarging: 11/27/13 31 mm (echo), 6/10/15 39 mm (echo), 7/8/16 41 mm MRI). But Ill check it as soon as possible. Its really not strenuous, maybe 10 km/h and not more that 10 push ups at once. He is very athletic. Could I continue to train and just cut out the blood chokes? Randyyour situation has many similarities to mine; I would be very interested in sharing experiences. Perhaps that will provide so e reassurance. I asked her when I get my valve replaced(it will have to be replaced sometime in the future) will they repair my aneurysm and to my surprise she said no. You might be wondering, with no disrespect to the great people of Cleveland, why Schwarzenegger, who surely has access to the finest hospitals under the sun, would choose to have surgery there. I would really like to know if I can (or shouldnt) push myself as hard as I used to. If you havent yet seen a surgeon, perhaps a visit would all wan opportunity to talk about these issues, even if operation is not yet needed. When you start seeing changes with regurgitation does it progress quickly? A bicuspid aortic valve is a congenital condition, meaning that people are born with two rather than the normal three cusps on their aortic valve. I dont know what to do .. Hi Dr Creswell, Stories of Bicuspid Aortic Valve. While she ended up being okay, she advised other women to be more cautious. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. And I took him for check up every year and nothing change and he never had any symptoms. Perhaps the best course of action might be to start off very conservative with exercise, as you are doing, with periodic assessment of the aortic valve and aorta with echo and CT. You might then gradually increase the activity and monitor for any bad signs with the periodic echos and CTs. My sinus of valsalva is at 4.8 and my BAV is functional (discrete regurgitation). . Athletes in this circumstance should collect opinions from their doctor(s) and make very careful considerations before returning to exercise. The guidelines were developed by an expert panel based on the scientific information available at that time: The issue has not been studied very well, but one recent study suggests that continued participation in sports for periods of up to 5 years does not change the natural history and progression of BAV. Thank you for your time. Aortic valve repair is sometimes possible. Thoracic aortic aneurysm, an abnormal bulge in the part of the aorta located in the . Your email address will not be published. Aortic stenosis will limit athletic performance at the top end. My surgeon says that the aneurism and bav go together. with valve area of 1.4 cm2 and aorta of 4.1 cms I met an old guy once after a run and he described me very well his running experience; he said when I accelerate, Im the only one to know. His doctor said his heart look very healthy and no other issues. Is this true that you wont be symptomatic with only mild AR? To make matters worse, I had a bout of AFIB, about 6 months ago. They dont know they have it [It] leaks blood. Im not a nurse or anyone who can help in any real way, she told PEOPLE, fighting back tears. Me, i`m nearly 43, male and have BAV. Glad to hear that youve found a surgeon and settled on a plan. In addition to the European guidelines, there is also an American set of guidelines published in the Proceedings of the 36th Bethesda Conference. The 72-year-old soap oprea legend started feeling a tightness in her chest in Fall 2018, but waved it off until the end of October, when she had to be rushed to the hospital. Normal great vessel size In addition to running, I also perform moderate to high intensity resistance (weight) training 5-6 times per week. Any person in my family there was no problem with the heart. I know that heart surgery can be scary.but I also know that for the vast majority of patients with these conditions, surgery goes well and the outcomes are good. The surgeon I used told me that he had performed keyhole surgery once but wasnt sure if it would be of much benefit to me. Bicuspid aortic valves are more common in men, but also affect women. I am a cycling Masters racer (Cat 2) for last 25 years . The important considerations in athletes with BAV are the degree of regurgitation of the valve and the degree of enlargement of the aorta. Sadly, most school/sports physical exam programs dont include echocardiogram.and the absence of a heart murmur in a child wouldnt preclude the diagnosis. However, is there any advantage to having them screen in their first decade of life, if they are not showing any symptoms? In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. While my surgeon said that I can do whatever normal healthy person would do my cardiologist gave me some restrictions basically not to raise my HR over 120. There are several variations of this procedure that are applicable in specific situations. Your site has been helpful in provided a sense of peacebut an extra insight would be super encouraging. Its very helpful for people with heart problems. Whether 130 beats per minute is a good cut-off truly isnt known. There are many causes of light-headedness and chest discomfort that are not related to the heart. I would prefer not to stop. While I no longer due very strenuous activities, I still play softball, golf, kayak, ski, and do play hockey every now and again. Hi Larry, I eat relatively well, but sometimes having those pizzas and burgers late at night I had to change that.. We dont have a crystal ball, though. (I'm a 17 year old female)After a heart echocardiogram yesterday we found out I have a bicuspid aortic valve, I originally went in to the cardiologist for extreme fatigue, constant racing heart (avg around 130bpm resting), palpitations, spells where I almost faint, feet swelling and turning purple, etc . Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has achieved satisfactory outcomes in the selected patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), predominately type 1 BAV (~90%). No information provided by Baldwin Publishing, Inc. in any article is a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical condition. 2. It is very frustrating as my doctor would prefer to see me live the rest of my life with restrctions and have the aneurysm stabilized rather than take a chance on surgery and possibly returning to my normal lifestyle. Zdenko . Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most frequent congenital cardiac defect, and affects 0.5-2% of live births. I dont train a lot, like 2k bike, 500k run and 100k swim yearly and few competitions sprints and one half IM in a year (32 years old). Im 52 years old and had surgery 2.5 years ago to repair an ascending aortic aneurysm (5.8 cm) and aortic tissue valve replacement. This makes the aortic valve a tricuspid valve. my son has BAV he was born with. Are there any things I can do now to help minimize my risk? Yes, moderate aortic root dilation can remain stable. Ordinarily, we reserve operation for patients with severe aortic regurgitation who have some decrement in the LV function. If untreated, it can lead to blocked blood flow. Bicuspid aortic valve can be found in 1% to 2% of the general population . ANYTHING other than walking and golf? Interesting situation Sean Miller. I get sporatic tingling in my left hand and footand every so often in my left cheek bone. 2. This is the way I can help. 1) Son has to stop football training as well as any physical activity, even at school (P.E. Biscuspid Aortic Valve with trivial AR Instead, even with continued sports participation, the progression of both valvular and aortic disease is no different from that in the general population. I have found in my case( an athlete with bav)the typical response from doctors is, thats life, you cant do it anymore, be grateful for what you have. My aorta diameter is 4.0 cm and has increased by 0.8 cm (from 3.2 cm) in the past 5 years so the diameter is increasing rapidly. 1. Max Page - Child Actor (Darth Vader in VW Superbowl ad) - Tetralogy of Fallot. Thats probably what the doctors are watching for. Sometimes patients with mechanical aortic valves report that they lose a bit of their top-end athletic performance. Since Im very active in sports, Id like to have your opinion on it. Details of my condition: Oh, plenty. The valve will become healed (scarred) into the surrounding heart tissues with the passage of time. Yes, there are certainly individuals with BAV who go a lifetime without needing valve replacement or aortic surgery. Body contact sports may pose some danger to athlete patients who take blood thinners. I do not have Julys echo results yet. While I do not work out regularly, my job as a construction worker is somewhat strenuous. I can not be on anticoagulant medications on the fire department. The most common type was type 1 (1 raphe with the raphe positioned between the right and left coronary sinuses (75%), while the second most common type was also type 1 . ps. Would this have any affect on any of the results of the tests I have done (Echo, EKG, Chest Xray)? Also, again, no stenosis or regurgitation, 35 mm ascending aorta. "I had been doing some work around the house working with a heavy ladder, he told PEOPLE of his activity in the days leading up to his heart attack. My cardiologist Said to not lift heavy weights. I have 6 years to go to retirement at the very least. I cant wait to be back, completely rested with my heart recharged, my passion for the work ahead purposeful and my joy at lifes pleasures high," the statement continued. Ive thought that the next visit to the pediatrician would be a good opportunity to discuss the issue. The pitfall, though, is that our native aortic valve is itself very efficient. My daughter has played two years of varsity basketball already.