My son is devastated, depressed, and wanted to play ball in college. However, is there any advantage to having them screen in their first decade of life, if they are not showing any symptoms? Unfortunatly that`s pretty much all the advice i`ve been given so far, so little out there on what i can actively do and what i can`t. My question is if my weight&lack of training or my BAV is the cause of difficulty in running. My question is: is it okay for me to participate in weight lifting with BAV? transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), Mick Jagger's Heart Valve Surgery: Top 5 Facts. Can you please shed some light on this is the sport performance supposed to gradually diminish (seems to go to zero for me) before the operation is needed? These Famous People Survived Congenital Heart IssuesYou Can, Too, On-Site CLIA Certified Laboratory Services, Click here for COVID-19 & Vaccine Information, Actor, body builder and former California Governor, After winning three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, linebacker. The doc states that basketball is a contact sport in her medical books and we would need to consult with another doctor to possibly get approval. Rose underwent the procedure last week, and said he would be going home to rest for a couple of weeks before returning in March. He is football player and he has training 5 times per week (for about 1,5 hours each). "I am lucky to be here.". I am riding my 3 rd anual Belgian Waffle Ride today. Palace Insiders Say Prince William Is Already Furious About Prince Harrys Memoir Leaks, Prince Harry alleges Prince William attacked him over Meghan Markle in a new excerpt from, Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 1, Rupert Murdoch Knees Trump in the Balls While Hes Doubled Over Coughing Up Blood, By BG017/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images. 1. But neither of these procedures are durable for the long-term. I think hes amazed by what I have described for my workouts of 65+ mile rides several times a week. Ever since undergoing open heart surgery in 2010 for her surprise diagnosis of heart disease, Jones has worked as a national ambassador for the American Heart Association to raise awareness. The reason I ask is my Cardiologist said it looked fine in the echo imaging, but (and correct me if Im wrong please) I got the impression from what you said in this article that a CT or MRI is necessary for aortic diameter measurement. Operation is needed if there is severe aortic valve stenosis, severe valve regurgitation, or significant enlargement of the aorta. Hi Dr Creswell, Sometimes it comes even when not exercising. I would not want yo distinguish between the various forms of static exercise that you mention. I am perfectly happy to stick to the 10km max distance for races, but my key concern is that if I do run some faster training sessions then I might have a sudden death. Several contemporary elite triathletes have BAV and Ive written about their stories in: Examples from other sports would include Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others. I do not do any kind of sport and I want to have healthy life at make sure my situation not getting worse and I weight 90 kg. is my lack of top end performance indicative of someone with BAV & aortic coarctation? Thanks in advance. Dr Creswell, Either way I often think my cardiologist looks at me as if Im nuts and that my current 175 miles a week training should be thought of as beyond expectations post open heart surgery. Body contact sports may pose some danger to athlete patients who take blood thinners. In addition to this public search, we scanned our proprietary research database of over 1 million sources and were unable to find any specific research reports that address your goals. This is true at rest and may be even more so during exercise. Defects can involve the walls or valves of the heart, or they may affect the arteries and veins near the heart. Crossref Medline Google Scholar. As I have aged I have upped the reps to 15 or more and two or three sets max, sometimes doing a set or two of 5 reps with heavier weights. I dont doubt there is variability in recovery among athletes who have operation for AVR and aortic replacement. The singer co-founded the Womens Heart Alliance, which works to raise awareness and funds research to fight womens heart disease. Perhaps a cardiac surgeon would be able to provide even more detailed information about things like various options for operation that might be applicable in your case as well as thoughts about when operation should be performed. To the extent that any operation fixes the stenosis or regurgitation, we might expect better efficiency from the heart. There were some procedural differences between the bicuspid and tricuspid groups. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. This is ridiculous. Log in, September 26, 2013 By Larry Creswell, MD 155 Comments. In 1997, Dr. Starnes led a team of three surgeons who replaced the aortic valve in then-actor Arnold Schwarzeneggers heart. host, 76, suffered a mild heart attack in 2012. Contact Editor. Or is the real risk related to further deterioration of the heart in the longer term that would be picked up by 6 monthly monitoring, which may indicate the need for surgery but not an immediate risk of dying suddenly? Any guidelines? This almost seems like an off the shelf answer and Id therefore be really keen to find out your thoughts? Will I need surgery? While I do not work out regularly, my job as a construction worker is somewhat strenuous. Then, a Dacron fabric tube can be used to reconstruct the aorta, in a so-called valve-sparing aortic root replacement. I am a 28yr old male, and Ive just found out about my BAV. For patients with bioprosthetic valves after heart valve surgery, the valve itself is not usually affected by weight-lifting activities. Here is a link to a diagram that categorizes sports according to their dynamic and static components: http://www.athletesheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Classification-of-Sports-300217.png. eventually was told everything was ok. Good to hear that youre making a good recovery from your second operation. Almost 15 years ago skilled surgeons replaced my aorta valve with a new replacement valve. I look forward to hearing from you. Nonetheless, I think theres considerable confusion about this condition, in terms of diagnosis, implications for the athlete, and its treatment. The best source of recommendations about safety of various forms of exercise will come from your doctor(s) who are familiar with all the particulars of your circumstance. Thank you to every doc and nurse on my team.". . Do we have a choice with him only being 15??? Frequency of congenitally bicuspid aortic valves in patients 80 years of age undergoing aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis (with or without aortic regurgitation) and implications for transcatheter aortic valve implantation.Am J Cardiol. Eventually I will need valve replacement. Its also clear-cut that patients with significant enlargement of the aorta to greater than 5.0 cm need operation for replacement of the aorta. On Ocotber 23, 2020, we learned that Arnold Schwarzenegger had a third heart valve procedure, a re-replacement of his aortic valve replacement. Thank you so much for your reply. I am now down to seeing my doctors every 3 years or so and have been doing very well. 5 months ago was diagnosed with severe AR and 5 cm long aneurism (root 3.0 cm, sinusi valsave 4.3cm, ST 3.6cm, ascending aorta 3.6cm) on regular yearly checkout, with no syptoms. Aortic valve regurgitation: Blood leaks back into your left ventricle instead of only flowing into your aorta. I dont want to do any damage or compromise my homograft as the last surgery was a very difficult recovery. No changes in regurgitation status (aortic regurgitation LVOT 19%); I have repeatedly asked each follow up, if continued marathon training is OK. Im always told it is fine with the old adage of listening to your body. Moreover, there is a myriad of operations that such patients may have had, each with its on set of considerations. Some good points there, Craig. Jeffrey Howell didn't know he was born with a bicuspid aortic valve until December 2015. Key points about bicuspid aortic valve. The tragic event's silver lining was that it caused Latifah, 46, and her mother, 67, to bond. Thank you for your time Dr.! Would you recommend taking beta-blockers at this stage? We want our patients to know that whatever the level of care they need, our team will design and implement the health plan that works best for them, Starnes said. After an MRI, Ive been diagnosed with BAV and mild aortic coarctation. I have recently found out that I have aortic regurgitation will soon be needing surgery. My cardiologist has advised that while marathon running is out, shorter runs (up to 6-8 miles) and pilates are both fine for now. If the valve does not close completely, blood can leak into the heart. Sadly, we dont have a crystal ball, though to know what the future holds for any particular individual. Since I started running, I lost about 8 kg, my blood pressure decreased from 140/90 to 120/80-70. For many patients, I recommend no heavy lifting (>10 pounds) for the first month after conventional heart surgery. I had multiple re-hospitalizations but seemed to recover. Theo Wargo/Getty. Also I lift weights . EKG and echocardiogram were done showing BAVD. My son is a very active and healthy 14 year old. I think you understand the guidelines correctly. I have read that strength training is beneficial for heart health. There, they detected I had a bicuspid aortic valve." This meant the valve which controls the flow of blood from the heart's left-ventricle chamber to the main artery had only two flaps instead . Also twice a week I try to do 40-minute workouts like planks, pushups and so on (with my bodyweight). I have been factual with him and told him worst case scenario is he is done with both and have pushed him to see the positives of exploring other things to do. Sign up to receive an email when I add new content. You should discuss this possibility with your doctor(s). 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). 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. I see Im not alone. I see my cardiologist the end of May. Fast forward, he is now 13 and we went yesterday for his yearly. The valve may also become stiff due to calcium deposits on the leaflets over time. Im really wondering at what point should I look into flying back to Thailand or Hong Kong to get re-checked. Great article! Ive done so much research and there are lots of young people who have went on to play sports and lead normal lifes. Questions about Bicuspid Aortic Valve!! My cardiologist gave me green light for everything except strenuous exercise (used to train for ironman and similar challenges). No thrombus, vegetation were noted If a large enough valve is implanted, there may be no noticeable impact on the ability of the heart to do extra work that comes with running (or any exercise). 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. what would your advice be for training & competing? We briefly talked about the Ross procedure vs mechanical valve replacement. Perhaps your primary care doctor or cardiologist could help you find another specialist in your area who could help with thatlook over all of the pertinent information and share an opinion about whats safe. In my practice, we often do such second opinions (about all sorts of issues) and I have found that athlete patients usually value the information that comes from such visits. Having a congenital heart defect means you are born with a problem with the hearts structure. When first diagnosed with BAV I just nodded and smiled it was only the following day that reality hit home and I thought of all of the questions that I would have liked to have asked the cardiologist! There are certainly athletes whove returned to their sports after valve (and aorta) repair/replacement. You have a good understanding of the issues. In addition, the Left ventrical has slowly increased over this same time period from 5.87 to 6.6 cm. The incidence of bicuspid aortic valve and complications. I got checked out by my GP who detected a murmur then had all the other heart related tests and was diagnosed with BAV with stenosis and regurgitation. A bicuspid aortic valve: Most people are born with an aortic valve that has three leaflets (a tricuspid aortic valve). Danny. I think we would expect less enlargement over time with stopping strenuous exercise. Thanks very much. My question here is what is the damage I can cause to my heart, mechanical valve, if I keep my heart rate at hi intensity levels? Could you express your opinion on this issue? Enjoy! I am a competitive cyclist, neither the Cardio or my Doctor said I should not be racing bikes anymore, does that sound reasonable to you, my doc did say to monitor the aortic root size yearly. My son will seek a repair when his conditions deteriorate. Exercise and sports are usually safe if there is mild aortic root enlargement but no other heart or vascular problems. I have had scans and echos for as long as I can remember and have never been on medication nor has this condition stopped me from doing anything I have wanted. From afar, I dont have much to add. Bicuspid aortic valve is the most common congenital cardiovascular anomaly, occurring in 1-2% of the population. Like you, I have been frustrated by the lack of experience and information that the cardiology community has for folks like us, although it is encouraging to read everyones posts here and see that we are not alone. My mom [and aunt] passed away [in their 60s from heart disease], and my dad had a heart attack when I was around 10 and he had a triple bypass, the actress told PEOPLE. One young man's complications from a bicuspid aortic valve were life-threatening, but perseverance and expert care helped him make it through. From your standpoint (and your sons), it will be important to have that dialog to sort out whats safe. I dont believe this has been well studied. Many endurance athletes are able to return to their sports after operation for BAV. I wouldnt be happy just running I want to be the best that I can be at it. And I took him for check up every year and nothing change and he never had any symptoms. Its awesome to see you are diligent at responding to people also. Im 32 years old and back in 09 I discovered I have a BAV. Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808. My Dr is almost certain that these symptoms are caused by issues that are not cardiac related, and that with at the stage my BAVD is at, it would not produce symptoms. He isnt interested in anything else. From afar, its hard to know what might be responsible for your symptoms. The surgery involved a replacement heart valve made from a transplanted tissue sourced from his pulmonic valve. Sometimes my cardiologist says there is minimal change and he thinks my aorta had slightly enlarged by 1-2mm. Im just going to do my very best to stay the course and have annual echoes to track my valve. In your case, though, the infection might well influence the healing process. Ever since undergoing open heart surgery in 2010 for her surprise diagnosis of heart disease, Jones has worked as a national ambassador for the American . I will update you all after his Friday appointment. Enlargement of the left ventricle can be an indication that the heart suffers from the aortic regurgitation, even if the regurgitation doesnt produce symptoms like shortness of breath. These differences of opinion may be legitimate. At approximately three months I became very ill and was diagnosed with prosthetic valve endocarditis.