I had an appt with my cardiologist this middle of next week and it was canceled until the latter part of October.

I have LVD and Afib. We were planning a trip where the altitude is around
5000 feet.

In the last two days, my blood pressure has suddenly jumped up while walking
shopping with my wife, and another time about an hour after going through 3 sets of lifting 5 lbs weights. Both times have made me weak. I have had this happen before and was told to just lay down and rest until it came down. I had a stress test four months ago and was told my EF was 68%.

My question is would going from a 1000 feet to 5000 ft cause any problems? I would call and ask my doctor, but he is out of town. We will be in the car most of the time. - sam

Hi Sam,

It could be a problem as lower oxygen at higher levels can strain a weak pumping heart to meet the oxygen demand. Above 8000 feet have affected people who normally live at a lower altitude.

Is it safe to go to a high altitude if I have a chronic illness like heart disease or lung disease? We visit the mile high city of Denver no problem and one quickly adjusts.
.
The answer really depends on the type of chronic illness you have and how severe it is. Most people who have a chronic illness, such as heart (cardiovascular) or lung disease, can safely spend time at a high altitude if their condition is under good control. Are you comfortable you have your medical condition under control?

People who have coronary artery disease, mild emphysema or high blood pressure aren't at greater risk of high-altitude illness than people who don't have these disorders. They also don't risk making their condition worse by traveling to a high altitude.

An EF at 68% is good, but it can change rapidly. I had an experience that happened with less than optimum oxygen that put me in the hospital with pulmonary edema. The lack of oxygen occurred when attempting to breath in a dusty environment. What happens is the blood pumped does not meet the oxygen demand and there becomes an imbalance between right heart side (supply) and the left (pump into circulation) causing blood to back up into the lungs and the pressure causes fluids to leak into the lungs.

sam,

I doubt that 5,000 feet would present any problems...but stay off the road over Mount Evans in Colorado at 15,000.

Perhaps 5,000 feet would be tough on someone with severe lung disease or the last stages of heart failure, but not for you.

What are you taking for BP control?

I have LVD and a fluctuating BP but have not had problems with altitude. At 10,000 ft I was certainly aware of the difference but just slowed up.You should be fine especially as you are driving and not flying so the ascent is gradual. A friend with severe heart problems finds he is fine as long as he drives to Denver but cannot tolerate flying.

Thanks Jackie,
Can you tell me what your bp reading are like? Mine will go low and then sometimes after I have done something stressful it is not high at the time, but will suddenly jump up and I get weak. If you have this, do you know what causes it? Do you ever get weak? Mine is cause from afib. The doctor told me I was not in heartfailure, but another said I was and then when I told him the cardiologist said I wasn't he recanted and said, "no, but you have a weak heart." Thanks again- sam

Hi Sam, I don't feel weak when my BP is up just when it is low! I am in and out of heart failure, out at the moment. That is going by me EF which at the moment is 45% and I feel good. I am on Coreg and Diovan which seem to work for me. Hope everything goes well on your trip. :cool:

Jackie,
How do you know when you are in heart failure and when you are not?
Do you just go by your EF?

We didn't go on the trip. Maybe next week.- sam

I don't think that you will have issues.I moved to a house at 8400 ft..We travel to elevations of over 10000 ft from time to time.Other than ears popping and sinus agravation I wouldn't look for a problem.I have heart issues and also high blood pressure like you described.I went to the doctor recently that told me that I had a slight murmur nothing to be concerned about but everything else was fine other than ear problems.I moved from below sea level.If you are driving you should be fine and if you can spend the night at an elevation about half way up to the elevation that you are going the night before to get your body accustom to it then you should be even better.I remember the first time i was going to a high elevation and I had a friend that just got back from wyoming or somewhere.He said he got out of the car and walked across the road and was out of breathe and felt light headed.Its funny I expected this to happen and when I got to a place that was over 9000 ft I was still waiting for something to happen and still I felt better than I had ever felt..so well I think alot of the elevation business is in people's head.I think that they expect to get sick or feel weird..I am easily persuaded or can be somewhat of a hypocondriac and was expecting to get to feeling bad..and I didn't so that should tell you alot..But now if you were going to say Mt Everest where its about over 20000 ft..i would urge you to maybe reconsider.. 5000 ft is really nothing..and really not noticeable.I read your post before now and have thought about it and think that maybe you just were feeling a little tension or maybe a little anxious and thats what made it go up and you feel weak..I am no doctor but believe me i understand what you are saying..Hope this helps...

Heart failure is a condition that fails to provide sufficient blood/oxygen to meet the oxygen demand. The EF is a numerical measurement that calculates the percentage of blood that is pumped with each stroke. An EF of 55 to 75% is considered adequate.

Whatever the source for lack of oxygen to the system the cardio vascular system will compensate. The heart will beat faster, a respiratory increase, arteries will dilate, etc. If the person is healthy, compensation will adjust the system to the environment (advised to adjust slowly, especially at higher elevations to adjust) not unlike deep sea diving when one has to be brought to normal elevation slowly to prevent the bends.

A health problem may develop, if one's system is not able to adequately compensate resulting in a deficit of oxygen at a sustained degree. An elevation of 5000 feet does not require much compensation.

If one has poor circulation due partially clogged and harden arteries, arteries may not dilate enough to meet the demand. If there is a pulmonary problem, the respiratory may not provide enough oxy. If the EF is low, it may not be able to pump effectively, etc.