HOW DO YOU DECIDE?

   We have all known the difficulties in diagnosing some diseases or even simple disease which may not show typical signs or symptoms of the disease. But when one knows the diagnosis and still have problem in making decision. This is due to circumstances that are there. I am talking about that kind of situation today. 

   I had known and seen this patient for  many years. She was elderly and had mild asthma and had h/o breast caner. She was doing fine . She was quite stable till she had COVID , She was admitted to hospital  and had pneumonia and had need for oxygen . With usual treatment for COVID she did well and was discharged . But then was readmitted for irregular heart beats. She was seen by cardiologist. And medications were adjusted . She did OK but continued to have problem with heart rate .She had this problem in past and had been on blood thinner but then had gastrointestinal bleeding and  so she was taken off the blood thinner. She was discharged and readmitted  and the story repeats . The next admission to hospital she had developed fluid around her both lungs and needed oxygen supplementation. I saw her  and then decided to take the fluid out with catheter to get her better quickly as she was on diuretics - water pill . She did better , but had another echocardiogram - ultrasound of the heart and that showed that one of her heart valves was not working well and had elevated pressure in lungs called pulmonary hypertension. So the cardiologist decided -this time to talk to her about surgical repair. Certainly now a days there are less invasive surgeries to repair such valves , but it is still surgery and she would need additional invasive work up . She would need TEE Ultra Sound of heart looking by putting a probe in esophagus  and then checking the coronary arteries by doing cardiac catheterization. Though not much invasive these procedures do carry a risk. And if  heart catheterization shows' blockage then she will need intervention like stent  and she will need to be on blood thinner . If the blockage is significant that it cannot be fixed with stent ,then will need bypass surgery. So the question that I have is SHOLD WE DO THE WORK UP OR NOT ? And if needs arise for major surgery , should we do it ? Not an easy decision.