Can rheumatic heart disease with enlarged heart be treated with surgery?

Written by Xie Zhi Hong

Cardiology

Updated on January 08, 2025

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Patients with rheumatic heart disease generally present with valvular insufficiency or severe stenosis. If the patient's heart is enlarged and the ejection fraction significantly decreases, for example, if the left ventricular diastolic diameter is greater than 75, and the ejection fraction is less than 30%, the surgical outcome may be poor. This is particularly the case if there is associated pulmonary arterial hypertension, which may lead to no improvement in condition after surgery, indicating a poor surgical outcome. However, if the patient has severe stenosis or insufficiency of the valve function, not performing surgery could further worsen the condition.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong

Cardiology

1min 18sec

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The causes of syncope in rheumatic heart disease.

The most common manifestation of rheumatic heart disease involves the mitral valve, leading to severe stenosis and insufficiency of the mitral valve, and decreasing the amount of blood returning to the heart. At this time, there is not enough blood returning to the heart, and naturally, the amount of blood pumped out is reduced. If it is extremely severe, it can lead to fainting; this is the first scenario. The second scenario is rheumatic heart disease affecting the aortic valve, which can also result in insufficient blood being pumped out, causing ischemia and hypoxia in the cerebral arteries, leading to fainting. Another situation is related to heart arrhythmias, which are divided into two types. One type occurs when rheumatic heart disease is very severe, potentially causing atrial fibrillation. Some patients with cardiac bypass might experience ventricular fibrillation, leading to fainting. Additionally, there is a scenario where severe rheumatic inflammation causes dysfunction in the heart's conduction system, leading to conditions similar to sick sinus syndrome or complete atrioventricular block, causing significantly slow heart rhythms, which may also lead to fainting.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong

Cardiology

52sec

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Do people with rheumatic heart disease need to take medication regularly?

Patients with rheumatic heart disease should also maintain a light diet, especially avoiding spicy and irritating foods. It is important to monitor changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and pulse. If the heart rate is too fast or the blood pressure is high, it may sometimes be necessary to use medication for early intervention. Rheumatic heart disease mainly manifests as chest tightness and difficulty breathing, and sometimes it can also present as swelling of the lower limbs. With active treatment, these symptoms can normally be alleviated. It is also important to monitor changes in heart rate and pulse regularly. If there are any incidents or difficulty in breathing, it is necessary to go to the hospital for treatment. During this period, it is still important to educate patients to regularly and routinely take oral medications to improve heart function, which is beneficial.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong

Cardiology

1min 7sec

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How to deal with a cold and fever in rheumatic heart disease?

Patients with rheumatic heart disease who catch a cold and develop a fever may experience a worsening of their existing rheumatic heart disease, with more severe mitral stenosis or regurgitation, and there could also be recurrent attacks of existing heart failure. Therefore, if a person with rheumatic heart disease catches a cold, it is crucial to seek medical treatment early and go for a hospital examination. If it is a viral infection, antiviral treatment should be given, and for bacterial infections, medications to control and kill bacteria should be administered. Furthermore, if there are repeated fevers during the treatment process, physical methods to reduce fever can be used, such as applying a cold cloth or ice pack to the head when the temperature is below 38°C, along with medication therapy using ibuprofen. In short, it is essential to treat colds and fevers early in patients with rheumatic heart disease. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a physician.)

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Written by Di Zhi Yong

Cardiology

49sec

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Rheumatic heart disease can be relieved by massaging which areas?

Since rheumatic heart disease is a type of valvular disease, especially mitral regurgitation or mitral stenosis, these can lead to rheumatic heart disease. Pathological murmurs can also be heard in the precordial area. The treatment of rheumatic heart disease is primarily pharmacological. If the condition is severe, surgical treatment can be used, but massage is not recommended. Because sometimes massage can exacerbate symptoms and does not alleviate the patient's condition, I personally suggest that it is better not to massage. In treating rheumatic heart disease, if the condition is severe, or the defect area is relatively large, sometimes it is advisable to consider surgical treatment for the patient, but pharmacological treatment can also relieve symptoms.

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Written by Fan Yan Fu

Cardiology

1min 7sec

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Can people with rheumatic heart disease eat raw onions?

Patients with heart disease must undergo lifestyle modification treatments before some specific treatments, which is a priority. What does improving lifestyle include? It includes appropriate exercise according to the patient's condition, a rational diet, a pleasant mental state, and adequate sleep, which are lifestyle practices adopted by all heart disease patients. A rational diet includes a certain amount of carbohydrates, a variety of fruits, vegetables, and more. As long as these are healthy dietary foods and the patient is not allergic and can tolerate them, they can be consumed. Can patients with rheumatic heart disease eat onions? Yes, they can. First of all, onions are just a type of food. As long as the patient does not have stomach diseases and can tolerate spicy foods, they can eat onions. Onions themselves do not have any special effects; they are simply a vegetable with a spicy taste. They might stimulate appetite, and when appetite is poor, using them may help increase it. Onions do not possess any special effects; they are merely a vegetable and can be consumed if tolerated.