Sub Aortic Membrane and Its Symptoms

Sub Aortic Membrane or Sub aortic stenosis is where a thin membrane starts to form at the bottom of the Sub Aortic valve. This membrane can eventually cover the full bottom of the valve. This can be an obstruction and can cause less blood flow to the heart. Eventually this thin membrane can cause heart attacks or heart failure if the heart cannot get enough blood flow and oxygen.

The Sub Aortic membrane can also change the outflow of the left ventricular systems. This will than also cause damage to the Aortic Valve even though there may not be a large obstruction in the beginning. Other effects also include damage to the mitral valve which can also impede a person's health and cause heart failure.

To determine whether this condition exists they have two tests which can allow a cardiologist or Electro physiologist to see what is happening within your heart. The first and easiest procedure is an Echo or Echocardiogram. This resembles a sonogram in many ways just allows the cardiologist to see the heart and how it is pumping. However occasionally it is difficult to determine through this procedure if Sub Aortic stenosis exists, that is when they will refer you to have a TEE done. TEE or Trans-Esophageal Echocardiogram is a more detailed and in depth test. The TEE takes a very detailed x-ray or photo of your heart, to get this photo however they have to make you swallow a small camera on a wire. This is an in hospital procedure because they give you a little anesthesia to make you more comfortable. They then feed the camera down your esophagus until it is level with your heart which brings them closer to your heart than an Echo can get.

If they determine that you due have Sub Aortic stenosis they usually will require you to have surgery to correct this issue due to the high fatality results if you do not. The surgery is open heart they do not have a laparoscopic surgery to repairs this condition yet. They will remove the membrane and frequently will have to resection the septal muscle. Once this is done, recovery is a few weeks than going back to work should not be an issue. The issue though is that the membrane can and usually will come back, however the surgery will assist in giving you a few years free of chest pain and difficult breathing.