Cancer 12

I am in hospital again today, this time for an echocardiogram. I think the anaesthetist is a little worried about my heart. There are two key aspects to consider beyond heart rate and blood pressure, both of which are controlled by drugs (OK, my blood pressure is a little high, bt not ridiculously so). The other two aspects of importance are my ejection fraction and my arrhythmia.

My arrhythmia is under control. Since I had a cardioversion in September 2020 I have not had a problem. The cardioversion is a wonderful tool. Basically it involves stopping the arrhythmic heart and starting it up again, hoping that it will be in rhythm. There is no real difference between this and turning a computer off and on again to make it work; and just like with the computer, it usually works. It was invented by scientists in the USSR and involves sending several thousand volts through the system – bu tI have described it in an earlier post. The danger is that the operation may make my heart go out of rhythm again, so I may need another cardioversion.

The other problem, the ejection fraction, relates to the rate at which the heart pumps blood through the heart. More precisely, the ejection fraction (EF) formula equals the amount of blood pumped out of the ventricle with each contraction (stroke volume, SV) divided by the end-diastolic volume (EDV), the total amount of blood in the ventricle. To express this as a percentage it is multiplied by 100, ie: EF=(SD/EDV)100. The normal ejection fraction in males is from the mid-50s to 70s%.

My ejection fraction when I first got heart failure was less than 30%, or ‘severely abnormal’. At the last measurement in 2021, it had increased to nearly normal, just over 50%. This is what is being measured today. As I have been taking the drugs, not drinking and generally had a reasonable diet, I am hopeful that it will be reasonably normal. I should know later on.

Later on.

Nothing really to report, except that the echocardiogram went smoothly. The person who administered it did not have the analyses so could only report that from the pictures the heart looked like it was functioning reasonably well. Hardly decisive, but indicative of a positive result.

While I passed my 60th birthday only three days ago I am fairly confident that despite my dodgy heart I am fitter than many people who go through this kind of surgery. I can (probably) still beat most people at arm wrestling if anyone wants a go; though I cannot do my old party trick of bending and breaking a six inch nail with my bare hands. To be honest, I haven’t tried it for decades. Perhaps I should.