Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
It is important to remember when we are talking about mitral regurgitation, that when the
blood is going backwards into the left atrium, there are no other valves between the left
atrium and the pulmonary bed. So the pressure that is in the left ventricle essentially
becomes reflected back into the pulmonary bed. Normally, in the pulmonary bed pressures
are very low compared to the body pressures. So the normal body pressure, which is 120/80,
which is what we normally refer to, the arm pressure, the lung pressures will be normally
20/10 or 20/15. So if the mitral regurgitation is severe and there is much leakage, that
will clearly impact the severity of the pressures and elevate the pressures and that in essence
is what begins to cause people to have shortness of breath, it is that their pressures are
too high in their lungs.