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Posted 2/13/2006 11:01 PM (GMT -8)
I am having a trans-osophogeal echo (dont know how to spell that) anyone heard of this? need to look at heart valves. i have a pacemaker and i am still getting loads of wierd rhythms, i get AF loads of times and sometimes it goes back by itself and sometimes i need cardioverting, it seems to be much worse in the last 2 days, i have been to my doctor but eveytime i go and they do an ECG it is normal (well normal for me anyway) i take digoxin 250 mg to help with my heart rhythm but i dont think it is helping with the AF, i do take warfarin (blood thinner) because i get AF, just wondered if anyone else had this problem. and now i am being told i might have a sticky heart valve?? anyone heard of this?? i never have.

Thanks

Amiee

Posted 2/14/2006 8:16 AM (GMT -8)
Hi Amiee,  I am sorry that you are still going through so much.  I have never heard of this either. But I did look it up on Google and posted a website for you.  It is spelled Trans Esophageal Echo test.  Is the pacer new?  I just got one is September myself.  It paces at 100% of the time as heart pretty much doesn't want to beat right.  Good luck on your test, let us know how it goes.

http://http://www.heartsite.com/html/tee.html

Posted 2/15/2006 3:03 PM (GMT -8)

Hi Elisha, thanks for the website i looked at it was it was very interesing, i have that done monday.

I got my pacemaker 13 months ago (its a dual chamber, rate responsive one) and yea im like you, i am pacemaker dependent coz my AV node has been ablated, but it works well for me, but i just wish i could get rid of all the other wierd rythms!!

thanks again

Amiee

Posted 2/16/2006 9:14 AM (GMT -8)
Amiee,

Not sure what you mean by a "sticky" heart valve--unless you mean stenosis of a valve. They should have been able to pick up some details about the heart valve on a transthoracic echocardiogram--but a TEE (transesophageal echocardiogram) is even better. In addition, if they are consider cardioverting you, a TEE will help them look for any clots that may be a contraindication to cardioversion.

A TEE is just placing a ultrasound probe in the esophagus to look at the heart. The reason we do this is that the esophagus sits right behind the heart (actually touches the heart) -- so the pictures are closer, and in better detail. Complications with the procedure mainly are due to complications of getting the probe down the throat. The probe is about the width of a finger, so you can imagine sticking a finger in the back of your throat, and the gagging that is associated with it. So we numb the throat with some nasty tasting spray and viscous lidocaine. In America, we sedate the patient for the procedure, but I have heard other countries do not sedate. However, the procedure is VERY safe---with a complication rate much less than 1/1000.

Hope this helps.
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