has anyone heard of bacteria in the heart?

I actually have heard of this and it is very common when you have MVP or mitral valve prolapse. This happens when the flap which closes the mitral valve within the heart too long to completely close and there is a regurgitation or back flow of blood into the chamber.

I gave a very simple answer of the MVP problem, a Doctor can give a more detailed description but this is basically it for us who are not Doctors!

When you have MVP, it is diagnosed by a Doctor who can hear a murmur in your heart. The sound of a MVP is kind of like a 'swooshing' sound the Dr. can hear. They will then usually suggest a sonogram of your heart that will show the mitral valve.

With the sonogram, you can actually see the backflow of blood back into the chamber. They use red and blue on the screen of the sonogram to show blood going in and out of the mitral valve.

Back before the diagnosis of MVP, the 'old timers' would say someone has 'a hole in their heart'. My grandmother supposedly passed away due to a 'hole in her heart'. I also was diagnosed with MVP. It can be genetic but it can also be caused by other things as well...one I know, if you've ever had Scarlett Fever.

Now, to the problem of the bacteria in the heart. If you have MVP, you always have to tell your dentist before they do anything in your mouth that will potentially make it bleed. You have to take a dosing of 100's of milligrams of Penicillin before any denistry work that involves bleeding in the mouth. The reason is, bacteria can get into your bloodstream and if you have MVP, this will cause bacteria to collect in your heart.

Pretty much all I know about the subject. I know a Doctor can explain much better. All of this pretty much is the layman explanation.

Hope this helps!

Mary