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Medical Forum / General / Cardiology / October 2005Classifiction System For Enlarged Hearts
Dr. Chung, Thank you for your reply on PACs.. I have another question pertaining to the size of enlarged hearts. Is there a number or grading system that applies to enlarged hearts. I recently saw a post at the Cleveland Heart Forum for information on an enlarged heart in which a woman said her husband had progressed from a 60 to a 62.5?? Could you please explain. A chest x-ray taken the same day I had the ECG that showed the PACs you commented on, showed an enlarged heart. I am very heavy.. Thanking you in advance, Your brother in Jesus, Al > Dr. Chung, Thank you for your reply on PACs.. I have another question > pertaining to the size of enlarged hearts. Is there a number or grading [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > showed the PACs you commented on, showed an enlarged heart. I am very > heavy.. Thanking you in advance, Your brother in Jesus, Al Dr. Chung is very capable of answering on his own. Just in case he misses it, I'll give you my 2 cents. The 60 to 62.5 sounds to me like ejection fraction - which is a measure of how much the heart pumps out on a beat. Generally, the higher the better but both 60 and 62.5 are quite good. The only classification system like that I am aware of is for heart failure. Where they classify from Type I (very mild) to Type IV (most severe), Maybe someone else has other thoughts. Bill Bill, As an aside, I was told I had 35% heart function. That took the wind out of my sails. I didn't think I was that bad as I could do most anything I wanted to do. I asked the doc what HIS heart function was, he said 65%. Surprised I asked if was also a heart patient. He replied no, that a healthy heart had 65% function. Well that sure made me feel a bit better. Now I was around 1/2 functional rather then 1/3 functional. Heck, most just naturally assume complete heart function would be 100% not 65%. Oh well, just part of the medical education I'm learning and never really wanted to. To me MI is the state I live in, not a heart attack. :-) Paul >>Dr. Chung, Thank you for your reply on PACs.. I have another question >>pertaining to the size of enlarged hearts. Is there a number or grading [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Bill I'm guessing the "60" and 62.5 pertain to the diameter of the left ventricle at end diastole, probably by echocardiography. That is mildly enlarged, as top normal is approx. 5.8-5.9 centimeters. More important than that small change in diameter is your New York Heart Association Functional Class, which, as mentioned before, ranges from Class I (little or no functional impairment) to IV (shortness of breath even at rest. >Bill, > As an aside, I was told I had 35% heart function. That took the wind [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] >> >> Bill > Dr. Chung, Thank you for your reply on PACs.. You are welcome, Al :-) > I have another question > pertaining to the size of enlarged hearts. Is there a number or grading > system that applies to enlarged hearts. I recently saw a post at the > Cleveland Heart Forum for information on an enlarged heart in which a > woman said her husband had progressed from a 60 to a 62.5?? Could you > please explain. She was most likely referring to her husband's left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) increasing from 60 mm to 62.5 mm. > A chest x-ray taken the same day I had the ECG that > showed the PACs you commented on, showed an enlarged heart. Chest x-rays can suggest that a heart is enlarged when the cardiac silhouette is larger than usual. The next step should be something definitive like echocardiography where the actual dimensions of the chambers of your heart are measured. > I am very heavy.. ... as are a growing number (no pun intended) of our brothers and sisters in this world. > Thanking you in advance You are again welcome. All praises belong to our heavenly Father, Whom we love with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths :-) **All** participants of USENET are cordially invited to the following on-line event that will take place today from 6-7 pm EST in Paradise: http://tinyurl.com/cpayh There will also be other guest experts participating to field medical/nutrition questions. For those who are put off by the signature, my advance apologies for how the Lord has reshaped me: http://tinyurl.com/bgfqt In Christ's love and service forevermore, Andrew -- Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD Board-Certified Cardiologist ** Suggested Reading: (1) http://makeashorterlink.com/?G1D5217EA (2) http://makeashorterlink.com/?W13A4250B (3) http://makeashorterlink.com/?X1C62661A (4) http://makeashorterlink.com/?U1E13130A (5) http://makeashorterlink.com/?K6F72510A (6) http://makeashorterlink.com/?I24E5151A (7) http://makeashorterlink.com/?I22222129 Dr. Chung, Several years ago I had an echo test but it was inconclusive due to my size. What other tests would be available to define the heart structure, ejection fraction, etc. MUGA? Thank you. God bless you and all on this group, Al >Dr. Chung, Several years ago I had an echo test but it was inconclusive >due to my size. What other tests would be available to define the heart >structure, ejection fraction, etc. MUGA? Thank you. God bless you and >all on this group, Al Al, Lots of choices: 1. echo with intravenous contrast agent (Optioson or Definity) 2. MUGA 3. Gated nuclear SPECT study 4. Cardiac MRI (probably the best for ejection fraction, but difficult to do if you are a large person) |
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