The term Balloon Valvuloplasty refers to a surgery performed on patients diagnosed with symptoms of stenosis. A condition associated with narrowing of the valves of heart, stenosis is treated in the procedure of Balloon Valvuloplasty through the introduction of a deflated balloon, which is later inflated at the opening of the affected valve for its enlargement. During the course of surgery, doctors anaesthetize the groin area to insert a thin tube with a small deflated balloon in the blood vessel. This tube or catheter is guided to the opening of the stenotic valve through the coronary artery. Once there, the balloon is inflated repeatedly to allow the valve to dilate.

Stenosis makes it difficult for a valve to contract resulting in irregular flow of blood. This happens when the flaps at the opening of a valve thicken, become stiff or get fused. Under these circumstances, the heart pumps harder to manage the flow of blood and oxygen to the body. Such a defect in the valve could be congenital (since birth) or acquired gradually due to aging and prolonged heart diseases. Other reasons such as rheumatic fever and bacterial endocarditis are also held responsible for this condition. Shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, fainting from exhaustion, arrhythmia and abnormal blood pressure are some common signs of stenosis. The objective of the surgery is to relieve the patient of these symptoms and encourage normal functioning of the affected valve. Of the four valves of heart- aortic, pulmonary, mitral and tricuspid- Balloon Valvuloplasty aids in treating the first three, in case the signs of narrowing are not corrected by medicines administered before.

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To begin with I must clarify I am not a health care provider. You should check with your own doctor before performing this method. A solid pulse rate recovery has been proven to be the number one indicator of overall individual fitness. The reasoning is the more beats a minute your heart rate (HR) drops after peak exercise the more fit a person is. When you run hell for leather for a couple minutes, reaching near maximum HR, a good quality recovery will be for your beats to fall at least 15 during that first minute after maximal physical effort. Here I would like to give the breakdown of the simplest way to perform the test and then get your number.

Firstly, you will want to have an estimate of your respective max. It is a benefit to know this number because the goal of the test is to get your heart beating near this number. Should you get nowhere near it, then you’ve not exercised quite hard enough. You need to take the number 220 and minus how old you are. What that equals is your estimated maximum number. Remember the number for reference in a while.

Second, you need to have a heartrate watch. You might take your pulse the old fashioned way: fingers on neck or wrist counting your pulse for ten seconds then multiply by six (to find the beats for each minute). But utilizing a heart watch is less work and probably more accurate. A strapless or chest strap empowered monitor will suffice. Here I will assume you have got one.

Third, for perfect results you’ll have to do some sprinting. Sprinting is basically really fast running. Visit an open area similar to a park or track. Take your heart rate prior to starting sprinting to check your watch is functioning. This readout may vary one person to another but will be from 50 to 90 beats every minute in healthy adults. Ok, now what you’ll have to do is sprint as fast as you can for as long as you can. Once you have achieved maximum exertion: stop and take your HR. The number should really be a minimum of 85% of the max HR estimate from the first part. If it is not, then you must do sprints up until you have a readout that’s more than 85% of your number from above. Do not forget that “max HR” you just got after your sprints and wait one minute.

Fourth, after one minute has passed since you maximally exerted yourself sprinting, take your heartbeat again and remember that number. Now take your measured “max HR” and subtract the number recorded after one minute and you should, hopefully, get yourself a number in excess of 15. The quantity you get, nonetheless, is the recovery heart rate number. The larger the number the more physically fit you are. If your HR decreases to your starting resting rate inside the first minute from peak then you are of exceptional fitness.

If your number is certainly less than 15 do not be alarmed. It just means that you will benefit from heart rate target zone training. Zone training is that act of keeping your HR elevated for prolonged time-span. The numerous zones are just looking at the different levels of maximum HR. Persist with the 55% to 70% of maximum HR zone if your number was lower than 15 above. In time your recovery heart beats will greatly improve.

By Richard Delta