what does the doctor listen for to hear my mitral stenosis?

Question

Can you explain why we can hear better the diastolic murmur of mitral stenosis during expiration?

Answer 1

Mitral valve: Auscultation with stethoscope reveals a murmur sound specific to mortal valve

Answer 2

Rheumaic fever: Usually repeated strep infections as a child lead to rheumatic fever which can scar the heart and make the valve thickened and hard to open.

Answer 3

Infections: Most common cause, although rare these days in the westernized world, is rheumatic fever (due to strep infectipns) in young age, which leads to scarring of the valve over time with narrowing - stenosis. Other infections (endocarditis) can lead to mitral stenosis as well.

Answer 4

Mitral stenosis: If severe, mitral stenosis is treated either with balloon valvuloplasty if the valve is not too calcified, or valve replacement.

Answer 5

Surgery: If it's causing symptoms, it requires intervention: either with a catheter (vavlulplasty) or with surgery (commissurotomy or valve replacement, depending on your age and the severity of the valve).

Answer 6

Heartburn & pregnant: She can eat slowly -- several small meals/day rather than 3 large ones. Avoid fried, rich, or spicy foods; drink less liquid while eating. Don't lie down right after eating, and put pillows under shoulders to prevent stomach acid from rising into chest. Wear loose-fitting clothing; avoid constipation. She can ask her OB about medicines like maalox, to coat the stomach & esophagus.

Answer 7

Heartburn & pregnant: She can eat slowly -- several small meals/day rather than 3 large ones. Avoid fried, rich, or spicy foods; drink less liquid while eating. Don't lie down right after eating, and put pillows under shoulders to prevent stomach acid from rising into chest. Wear loose-fitting clothing; avoid constipation. She can ask her OB about medicines like maalox, to coat the stomach & esophagus.

Answer 8

Depends on severity: Progressively restricted opening of the mitral valve, measured by serial echocardiography, results in higher pressures in the lung circulation and reduced cardiac output when exercising. Worsening shortness of breath and cardiac arrhythmias may be the result. There are evidence based guidelines to help your doctors decide when to intervene to improve quality and length of life.

Answer 9

Depends: Mitral stenosis restricts the blood flow from the lungs into the left ventricle (main pumping chamber). So the pressure builds in the left atrium and it dilates. The pressure also builds in the lungs. The left ventricle has trouble filling so it pumps less blood to the body. So as stenosis worsens patients develop shortness of breath, funny heart beats, heart failure, high blood press in lungs.

Answer 10

Severe blockage: In mitral stenosis , the opening of the mitral valve is too small. If it gets small enough, then the patient can begin to have symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue. So it depends on how severe the blockage is.

Answer 11

Depends: It depends on several factors including how narrow the valve is, how healthy the patient is overall, and whether or not there are any arrhythmias. If the heart rate is well controlled and diuretics are used, many patients do just fine with moderate stenosis. Severe stenosis, and symptomatic moderate or severe stenosis often require surgery.

Answer 12

Better to hear: It positions the tip of the left ventricle closer to the chest wall so that thye stethoscope has a better chance of hearing the low pitched murmur.

Answer 13

Not related to : Mitral stenosis. Laying on the left side places the heart closer to the stethoscope.

what does the doctor listen for to hear my mitral stenosis?

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