Patient was educated that signs and symptoms of pulmonary valve stenosis can vary from mild to severe depending on the degree of stenosis and the extent of obstruction to the blood flow. Signs and symptoms are as follows:
- Increased workload of the heart
- Pumping blood through the stenotic or incompletely open valve needs extra effort by the heart muscle.
- Extra effort by the heart must be compensated enough by extra blood and oxygen supply.
- But, since blood and oxygen supply is already compromised in an individual with stenosis, any extra workload on the heart makes chest pain and an episode of myocardial infarction more likely, damaging the heart muscle.
- Palpitations and arrhythmia
- Damaged heart muscle, secondary to poor blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle, can lead to palpitations and arrhythmias, declining the cardiac function further.
- Diminished function of vital organs
- Compromised blood and oxygen supply to the vital organs affect their function gradually.
- Blood supply could be reduced to all organs, such as, brain, heart, lung, stomach, and kidneys, affecting their function.
- Heart failure
- Patients can present with symptoms of heart failure over time, such as, swelling of the extremities with pitting edema, and grossly limited exercise tolerance with exacerbation of episodes of shortness of breath.
