LVF with pleural effusion and MR

Echo Findings in an Elderly Patient with Dyspnea and a Past History of Myocardial Infarction

*Introduction:

An elderly patient with dyspnea and a past history of myocardial infarction underwent echocardiography. The echocardiogram findings included:

* Left ventricle wall motion abnormality (WMA) affecting the LAD artery territory

* Reduced ejection fraction (EF) of 33%

* Moderate mitral regurgitation (MR)

* Bilateral pleural effusion

*Findings:

* Left ventricle WMA affecting LAD artery territory: This finding indicates that there is damage to the LAD artery, which is the main artery that supplies blood to the left ventricle. The damage is causing the left ventricle to not pump as well as it should.

* Reduced EF of 33%: An EF of 33% is considered to be low. This means that the left ventricle is not pumping as much blood as it should with each heartbeat.

* Moderate MR: MR is a condition in which the mitral valve does not close properly, allowing blood to leak back into the left atrium. Moderate MR means that the leak is significant.

* Bilateral pleural effusion: Pleural effusion is a condition in which there is excess fluid in the space around the lungs. Bilateral pleural effusion means that there is excess fluid in the space around both lungs.

*Prognosis:

The prognosis for patients with these findings is variable. Some patients will improve with medical treatment, while others will develop heart failure. The prognosis is worse for patients with more severe findings, such as a very low EF or severe MR.

*Management:

The management of patients with these findings depends on the severity of the findings. Patients with mild findings may be treated with medical therapy, such as beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors. Patients with more severe findings may require more aggressive treatment, such as surgery or heart transplantation.

*Images of echocardiography:

[Image of Reduced ejection fraction (EF)]

[Image of Moderate mitral regurgitation (MR)]

[Image of Bilateral pleural effusion]

*In brief:

* The patient has left ventricle WMA affecting the LAD artery territory.

* The patient has a reduced EF of 33%.

* The patient has moderate MR.

* The patient has bilateral pleural effusion.

* The prognosis for the patient is variable.

* The management of the patient will depend on the severity of the findings.

Watch the video 📹 of this case:

Echo video of this case

I hope this blog post has been informative