My stay at Okayama Medical Center is coming to an end after four BPA interventions, and I plan to return home early next week. We are still running several tests this week to collect post-treatment data, including today’s 6-minute walk test (6MWT). As usual for the test, I walk up and down the corridor in front of my hospital room here at Okayama Medical Center.
The walk went well, but my blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) was low.
Today’s distance (6MWD) was 480 meters. Not spectacular, but a 30 meter improvement over the pre-treatment test.
Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, SpO2 was down to 77% at the end of the test. That is a critically low level and unhealthy for sure. Interestingly, I had no breathing problems (dyspnea), dizziness (syncope), or chest pressure. I did get a minor headache shortly after the test. No surprise since my brain doesn’t like being hypoxic (low on oxygen).
Although my lungs are in good condition after four BPA procedures, my heart may be the cause of my poor performance. The problem seems to be the low stroke volume. The constant high pressure during CTEPH times has worn out the right side of my heart, making it difficult to persuade it to pump more blood. An irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) may complicate matters further by limiting cardiac output.
My heart rate peaked at 120 bpm during today’s test, six beats/min lower than during the initial test. I take medication to manage my arrhythmia, which has the side effect of lowering my pulse rate. For the time being, this is a necessary step until my heart has recovered from the impact of CTEPH. – The question remains, will it fully recover?
Comments by Gregor