I have known for about ten years that I have mild mitral valve prolapse (it was found ten years ago when a doctor ordered an ultrasound due to discovering a heart murmur which I had not had previously). Because the ultrasound just showed mild mitral valve prolapse I havent ever really worried about my heart, although I have had pain in the center of my chest for the past few years when I am over-exerted. Two weeks ago, I had my gall bladder removed and because of the mitral valve prolapse, my doctor ordered a precautionary EKG prior to surgery. I was told that it was abnormal, showing ST Depression on several leads. Does anyone understand the significance of this? The anesthesiologist was afraid to operate, saying that my heart murmur is also now exteremely pronounced. I am ashamed to say that I lied and told him I hadnt been having chest pain because I was in so much pain from my gall bladder and I wanted them to do the surgery. I've now made an appointment with cadiologist who I will see tomorrow. I'm very scared. Can anyone tell me anything about ST depression?
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"Pragmatism and Idealism are not mutually exclusive."
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"Pragmatism and Idealism are not mutually exclusive."
Hi Sydalya:
ST depression (depending on the depth of the depression) is usually associated with subendocardial ischemia - meaning a section of your heart isn't receiving enough oxygen. A cardiologist will probably order a stress test to rule out CAD (coronary artergy disease) and echo to determine the severity of regurgitation and see if there are any structural changes to your heart due to MVP. I hope this isn't too much information, but thought you'd like to know what the next steps might be.
Hi - Thank you so much for replying. Assuming that it turns out that a portion of my heart is not receiving enough oxygen, what might the possible next step - or steps to remedy that be? Do you have any idea?
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"Pragmatism and Idealism are not mutually exclusive."
Sorry, I neglected to address your concerns about what's happening. I'm sure this has all come as a big shock, but the good new is, they've managed to detect the problem before it had a chance to progress to something worse and it is very treatable. Make sure you follow up with a cardiologist to hasten both the diagnosis and treatment. All the best.
Hi again Sydala:
The next step will depend on what the echo and/or stress test find. If the problem is a coronary blockage, your doctor will most likely recommend an angiogram. Severe regurg may have caused some atrium and/or ventricle enlargement. There are a number of treatments for this problem, but a cardiologist would be the best person to discuss what those options are.
only 36; Abnormal EKG, Very Scared 
