Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation

When the heart begins to labor under a disorder, it can begin to adjust, or to 'remodel' itself so that it can continue to work effectively. Unfortunately, the 'cure' is often a detrimental process and leads to eventual heart failure ( I frequently say at this point that I don't like that term because it sounds like the heart stops. A better term is 'cardiac insufficiency', meaning that the heart becomes less efficient at pumping oxygenated blood to vital organs, especially the kidneys. It is the kidneys that keep us from developing the 'ascites' problem that you have, the swelling in your abdomen and in the extremities like hands, ankles, and feet).

The TEE is like a bum colonoscopy, except inserted into your mouth and forced down your esophagus. The idea is to get the probe down beside the heart where the esophagus runs, and to image it from a better position than a wand like they use for external ultrasounds. You will be anesthetized with propofol and perhaps a bit of fentanyl thrown in for discomfort control. This will take at most ten minutes, and you should be awake again and in recovery inside of half an hour from when they put a mask over your mouth and nose....if they don't inject you. You won't remember anything about the procedure, and that is WHY they use the propofol. They don't want patients associating panic with a tube forced down their throats, head held way back like looking at the ceiling, with the procedure if it has to be prescribed again, and the same applies to colonoscopies.

Note that, as inexpert as I am, this is my understanding. When I first saw a cardiologist about my own fibrillating heart, he asked me to get up on his examining table and he lifted my trouser leg and poked my ankle. He wanted to see how well my heart was pumping. If the poke left a visible indentation, and his finger felt the swollen tissue, he'd know I was not just fibrillating but also having kidney problems as a result...more urgency needed.

Your tricuspid valve is not closing properly, so there's a backwashing effect between beats of your right ventricle. The right ventricle pumps stale blood into the lungs via the pulmonary arteries (arteries carry blood away from the heart, so even if it's stale blood, it's leaving the heart after entering the upper right atrium, meant to flow down through the tricuspid to the right ventricle, and the right ventricle sends it over to the lungs....arterial). Instead, when it beats, the right ventricle's pressure forces the limp tricuspid open again, and forces some blood into the atrium above it...quite against the design of the heart. Understandably, this backwashing means spent blood is not getting to the lungs in the volume needed, which means you have less saturated blood with O2 leaving the lungs and then leaving the heart to do another loop to the brain and the rest of your organs and body. Hence, the shortness of breath.

Gloaming,
Thank you for your reply to my post. I appreciate you taking the time to address my Tricuspid regurgitation & the TEE.
I’m not looking forward to the TEE, but understand it will give a better picture of my Tricuspid & its ability to function. I can tell from my shortness of breath & abdominal swelling that I am in a bad situation.
I am thankful that the diuretics are helping some.
It is so nice to have someone reach out. When something like this heart issue arises we can feel like we’re out here alone on an ice floe. Thanks again

I also am having heart issues and can not get an appointment until end of January. Two terms I saw in my chart: Mital velve regurgitatin and Aortic velve regurgitation. I don't know much about the heart but I am thinking if a velve is not working properley they are able to replace it right? I am eighty years old. Question at what age they don't want to replace the velve due to old age?

It depends. On you, your overall health and condition (which has some predictive validity for your longevity), your history, and on the skill and experience of the person whom you hope will do the repairs. Valve repairs are quite routine now. They're still rocket science, but everyone's putting up rockets...aren't they?

My father had a TAVR (trans-catheter aortic valve replacement) last year in July. He had turned 93 three months earlier. He was asked to overnight in the local Heart House accommodations, a small non-profit residence used by the organization for people who need heart remedies but who must come from out of town. Next morning, we drove home uneventfully, and a recent CT scan showed his valve is working nicely. Even better, it's still where they left it.

Thanks for your encouraging remarks. Before surgury did your father have issues with being lightheaded or diziness? Thanks

TAVR seem to be being done everywhere & so lots of people are showing benefits from their aortic valve
procedures.
Last year 12/2023 I was at the University of Michigan & told the Tricuspid Valve is the Orphan Valve, so not so much being said about the tricuspid valve.
Also saw it mentioned it is the most difficult valve.
Looking for more info on the Tricuspid valve………

I had AFIB, severe left atrial regurgitation, atrial valve not opening properly, no comorbidities. Everyone is different, but here is my experience for what it's worth. I had mitral valve repair, ablation for AFIB, and LAAC at 78, two years and 5 months ago. No more AFIB (it can work permanently). I exercise and eat smartly (low in calories, sugar, salt, and caffeine).

I had a great surgeon at WakeMed in Raleigh, Dr. Boulton, who did all of the heart stuff. That was key of course. You can contact his office to send your test results, especially the latest echo, to Dr. Byron Boulton; set up a consultation visit. He is director of the WakeMed Structural Heart Program at WakeMed in Raleigh, NC. Phone (919) 231-6333.

He found two things that his kids were not aware of, although we did notice that his thinking was sometimes off and uncharacteristically poor for him (mining engineer): his vision's field of view began to get smaller...like looking from inside a tunnel according to him, but also the degraded cognitive function that was sometimes apparent to those listening to him. I don't recall any dizziness ever mentioned or treated.

Thank you. Every little bit of information is helpful.