BP & HR Post MV Repair

[DLH]

I had my MV repair on Nov. 18th and everything went very well as noted in previous posts. There is one thing I am curious about and wanted to get feedback from others. Before surgery my BP was considered borderline high and now after surgery it is greatly improved to the 100-112 over 60-70 range, prior to surgery it was 125-135 over 90's range (I am pleased with this result). My resting HR prior to surgery was 55-65 and now post surgery it is 80 +/-. I am a cyclist so I have a HR monitor and can monitor this over a period of time. Now, my HR during exercise (35-40 min. stationary cycling) prior to surgery was going up easily and would tend to remain higher longer during recovery. Post Surgery it does not seem to climb as high and seems to recover faster with the same amount of exertion. This seems a little odd to me since my resting HR is higher and my BP is lower. I see the Cardiologist today and plan to ask him all of these questions. I know we will also be scheduling a echo for a baseline moving forward.

DLH

[MikeHeim]

I'm only four weeks post-op, but I've had issues with my resting HR as well (I'm not allowed any cardio activity yet). In the hospital it was high 80's to 90's and didn't go down much after I came home. I've beem a marathon runner (hope to be in the future again), so I was used to my HR being in the 50's to 60's. Just prior to surgery it was frequently in the 70's. My dose of Atenolol was increased two times (to 75mg twice daily) and now my resting HR is usually in the high 60's to low 70's. I'm hoping that drops when I can begin to exercise again.

My BP has been pretty normal since surgery. It was borderline high prior to my surgery, but fell pretty immediately after. I just measured it a half-hour ago and it was 113/62/

[tobagotwo]

These are both common post-surgical results, but they are usually not permanent - even the good part.

My blood pressure was like that of a child right after the surgery. Months later, it spiked up for a couple of months. Now it's down to a little below what it was before the surgery- although I'm still on the atenolol dose from before surgery. Resting heart rate is now in the 60s.

Of course, you should check unnerving symptoms with your cardiologist to see if they could be larger concerns. But in general...

The heart seems to readjust itself often in the first six to ten months, and it takes a long time to settle in many. That includes blood pressure and heart rate. Palpitations can also be a part of the resettling process. It may be partially due to remodelling (the process of the heart returning to its normal size), or it may be the reconnection of small nerves through scar tissue. It could also be the body's attempts to recalibrate its chemical responses to stimuli, based on the heart's renewed efficiency.

Your body's feedback systems had years to get used to the heart becoming less capable, but the heart's ability to respond to load and its capacity for recovery from exercise changed almost overnight after surgery.

The one thing I would suggest is that you should try not to jump on a sudden spike in BP or heart rate with an increased drug burden right away. (Assuming you are in no immediate danger, of course.) Allow it a chance to clear itself, as it is likely not a long-term variation. While you want to keep him abreast of developments regarding your heart, work with your cardiologist to try to avoid applying long-term solutions to short-term problems.

Best wishes,

[DLH]

Went to the Cardiologist yesterday and was given a green light. I am just shy of 8 weeks post op and he said that I can come off of the 2.5mg of enalapril, zantac, and suggested I stay on the 81mg of aspirin until my post-op echo in may. He said that my resting HR should improve with my exercise. He told me that my partial sternotomy has had sufficient time to heal and that I could lift weights if I wanted and most importantly I can return to riding my bike on the road.:)

I just wish everyone that needs heart surgery could have as smooth of an operation and recovery as I have had.

DLH