Heart valves

If you need to have a heart valve replacement, you have several choices to consider when discussing your heart valve options with your medical professional. The type of valve and surgical approach have an impact on both your short-term recovery and longer-term quality of life. Replacement valve’s durability and performance The ideal replacement valve offers excellent valve function and works in coordination with the entire circulatory system. Your medical team may refer to this as “excellent hemodynamic performance.” Replacement valve’s risks and medication requirements The ideal replacement valve also offers long-term durability without significantly increasing the risk of dangerous blood clots. *Blood thinner Patients and their health care team should discuss treatment options and share in the decision-making process to choose the most appropriate treatment. Possible choices include: Manufactured Mechanical Valve These valves are made of strong, durable materials. They are the most long-lasting type of replacement valve. Most will last throughout a patient’s life. Patients who receive a manufactured valve will almost always require a blood-thinning medication for the rest of their lives. The blood thinner will keep clots from forming, which is critical because clots can lodge in the valve flaps or hinges and cause a malfunction. Clots can also break off and form into an embolism (traveling clot), which may move through the bloodstream and lodge into a vessel where it may...

The four valves of the heart allow blood to flow through the heart in the right direction. The valves open or close each time the heart beats. Problems with the heart valves can lead to palpitations, chest pain, and other symptoms. The four heart valves are: • the mitral valve • the aortic valve • the tricuspid valve • the pulmonic valve Doctors call the mitral and tricuspid valves the atrioventricular valves, and the aortic and pulmonic valves the semilunar valves. Keep reading to learn more about each of the four heart valves. Share on Pinterest ilbusca/Getty Images • The process begins when oxygen-depleted blood (from the arms, legs, body, and head) enters the right atrium. This is the upper chamber on the right side of the heart and is the storage chamber. • The blood then flows through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle, which is the lower right pumping chamber. • The ventricle pumps this blood through the pulmonary valve to the pulmonary artery, where it enters the lungs for oxygenation. • Oxygen-rich blood re-enters the heart through the left atrium, which is the upper left chamber. • It then flows through the mitral valve to the left ventricle, or the left pumping chamber. • Finally, it moves through the aortic valve and then through the aorta to the rest of the body. Tricuspid valve The tricuspid valve is named because it has three flaps called cusps, or leaflets. Blood flows through this valve after leaving the right atrium. After passing through the tr...

The goal of heart valve surgery is to correct the valve disorder, reduce or eliminate symptoms, lengthen life and improve the quality of life. Repair or Replace? It's generally best to repair a valve and preserve a person’s own heart tissue when possible. However, when the tissue is too damaged, a Repair Procedure: Balloon Valvuloplasty For many people, valve tightness can be relieved during a procedure called In a balloon valvuloplasty, a small catheter holding an expandable balloon is threaded into the heart and placed into the tightened valve. Next, the balloon is expanded to stretch open the valve and separate the leaflets. In some cases the valve cannot be successfully treated by balloon valvuloplasty, and a different surgical treatment is needed to open the valve and allow better blood flow. Treatment results can vary depending on the experience and training of your medical care teams. Hospitals can become very proficient at managing care around certain conditions. When a valve problem is complex, it is very important to choose an experienced team to do the repair. How do I find a provider experienced in treating valve disease? Treatment may require you to visit a highly specialized cardiologist or surgeon. Your family practitioner or general cardiologists may refer you to a valve disease specialist who focuses almost exclusively on heart valve problems and repair. Print our pre-surgery checklist:

Aortic valve stenosis Aortic valve stenosis causes a thickening and narrowing of the valve between the heart's main pumping chamber (left ventricle) and the body's main artery (aorta). The narrowing creates a smaller opening for blood to pass through. Blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body is reduced or blocked. Typically, the aortic valve has three cusps (tricuspid aortic valve), but some people are born with an aortic valve that has two cusps (bicuspid aortic valve). Aortic valve regurgitation In aortic valve regurgitation, the aortic valve doesn't close properly, causing blood to flow backward from the body's main artery (aorta) into the lower left heart chamber (left ventricle). Aortic valve disease is a type of heart valve disease. In aortic valve disease, the valve between the lower left heart chamber (left ventricle) and the main artery to the body (aorta) doesn't work properly. The aortic valve helps keep blood flowing in the correct direction through the heart. A damaged or diseased aortic valve can affect blood flow to the rest of the heart and body. Aortic valve disease includes: • Aortic valve stenosis. The flaps (cusps) of the aortic valve become thick and stiff, or they fuse together. These problems cause the valve opening to become narrow. The narrowed valve reduces or blocks blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body. • Aortic valve regurgitation. The aortic valve doesn't close properly, causing blood to flow backward into the left lower h...

When a heart valve is damaged or doesn’t close properly, it can cause what’s known as a “leaky valve.” Depending on the severity of the leaky valve, there are several different treatment options, ranging from medication to surgery. A leaky heart valve is when one of your valves won’t close properly. The condition is also called valve regurgitation, because it allows some of your blood to flow backward through the valve instead of moving forward. A related condition, called valve stenosis, means your valve can’t open sufficiently, restricting healthy blood flow through your heart. The A leaky valve can be minor and require no treatment. But you should have it monitored in case your condition gets worse. In more serious cases, valve repair or replacement may be necessary. Because a leaky valve is usually treatable, the long-term outlook is usually promising. A leaky heart valve can be serious and require treatment to prevent life threatening complications. However, if the leak is minor and you have no symptoms or problems with circulation, you can live with a leaky valve for a long time without treatment. If you have a mild case of valve regurgitation, it’s important to get regular checkups with a doctor or healthcare professional and to report any new symptoms right away. Some of the more serious symptoms of a leaky heart valve can include: • chest pain • fatigue • • • • swelling in your neck, abdomen, or legs According to the • • • The two main treatment options for valve ...

Valves may become diseased, resulting either in leakage of blood backwards (known as insufficiency or regurgitation), or by becoming narrowed (stenotic), preventing adequate forward flow of blood. Either of these conditions can seriously damage the heart, and surgery may be required to address these problems. The Tricuspid Heart Valve The tricuspid valve is the first valve that blood flows through in the heart. It is one of two atrioventricular valves, meaning that it is located between the atrium and the ventricle, in this case, on the right side of the heart. It is made of three flaps, or leaflets, that work together to stop and start the flow of blood. The Pulmonic Heart Valve The pulmonic valve is the second valve of the heart. Like the aortic valve, it is also referred to as a semilunar valve, because of its shape. It lies between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery, which takes blood to the lungs. When the right ventricle contracts, the pulmonic valve opens, allowing blood to flow to the lungs. The Mitral Heart Valve The mitral valve, is the third valve of the heart. Like the tricuspid valve, it is an atrioventricular valve, meaning it rests between the left atrium and the left ventricle. Oxygenated blood passes through the mitral valve when the atrium contracts, allowing blood to flow from the upper chamber into the lower ventricle. The Aortic Heart Valve The aortic valve is the fourth and final heart valve, lying between the left ventricle and the aorta. T...

Synonyms: Tricuspid valve, Valva tricuspidalis Understanding heart valves anatomy is important in grasping the overall function of the The contents of the left and right side of the heart are isolated from each other by the respective interventricular septa. Similarly, blood is separated from the atrial and ventricular parts of the heart by the atrioventricular septa. However, it is the heart valves that allow blood to pass from the Key facts about the heart valves Tricuspid Right atrioventricular valve Three cusps - anterior (anterosuperior), septal, and posterior (inferior) Associated with four papillary muscles - anterior, medial or septal, inferior, moderator band (septomarginal trabecula) Prevents blood from flowing from the right ventricle into the right atrium Mitral Left atrioventricular valve Two cusps - anterior (aortic, greater, anteromedial or septal) and posterior (ventricular, mural, posterolateral, or smaller)Â Associated with posteromedial and anterolateral papillary muscles Prevents blood from flowing from the left ventricle into the left atrium Pulmonary Right semilunar valve Three semilunar cusps - anterior (non-adjacent), right (right adjacent), and left (left adjacent) No associated papillary muscles Prevents backflow of blood from pulmonary circulation into the right ventricle Aortic Left semilunar valve Three semilunar cusps - right coronary (anterior), left coronary (left posterior), and a non-coronary cusp (right posterior, non-adjacent) No associa...

The rhythmic noises accompanying the heartbeat are called heart sounds. The two distinct sounds are heard, a low, slightly prolonged “lub” (first sound) occurring at the beginning of ventricular contraction or systole and a sharper, higher-pitched “dup” (second sound), caused by the closure of aortic and pulmonary valves at the end of systole. heart, In humans and other Explore the human heart and how the cardiovascular system help circulate blood throughout the body The heart, although a single organ, can be considered as two pumps that The low-pressure circuit from the heart (right atrium and right ventricle), through the lungs, and back to the heart (left atrium)

Aortic valve stenosis Aortic valve stenosis causes a thickening and narrowing of the valve between the heart's main pumping chamber (left ventricle) and the body's main artery (aorta). The narrowing creates a smaller opening for blood to pass through. Blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body is reduced or blocked. Typically, the aortic valve has three cusps (tricuspid aortic valve), but some people are born with an aortic valve that has two cusps (bicuspid aortic valve). Aortic valve regurgitation In aortic valve regurgitation, the aortic valve doesn't close properly, causing blood to flow backward from the body's main artery (aorta) into the lower left heart chamber (left ventricle). Aortic valve disease is a type of heart valve disease. In aortic valve disease, the valve between the lower left heart chamber (left ventricle) and the main artery to the body (aorta) doesn't work properly. The aortic valve helps keep blood flowing in the correct direction through the heart. A damaged or diseased aortic valve can affect blood flow to the rest of the heart and body. Aortic valve disease includes: • Aortic valve stenosis. The flaps (cusps) of the aortic valve become thick and stiff, or they fuse together. These problems cause the valve opening to become narrow. The narrowed valve reduces or blocks blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body. • Aortic valve regurgitation. The aortic valve doesn't close properly, causing blood to flow backward into the left lower h...

When a heart valve is damaged or doesn’t close properly, it can cause what’s known as a “leaky valve.” Depending on the severity of the leaky valve, there are several different treatment options, ranging from medication to surgery. A leaky heart valve is when one of your valves won’t close properly. The condition is also called valve regurgitation, because it allows some of your blood to flow backward through the valve instead of moving forward. A related condition, called valve stenosis, means your valve can’t open sufficiently, restricting healthy blood flow through your heart. The A leaky valve can be minor and require no treatment. But you should have it monitored in case your condition gets worse. In more serious cases, valve repair or replacement may be necessary. Because a leaky valve is usually treatable, the long-term outlook is usually promising. A leaky heart valve can be serious and require treatment to prevent life threatening complications. However, if the leak is minor and you have no symptoms or problems with circulation, you can live with a leaky valve for a long time without treatment. If you have a mild case of valve regurgitation, it’s important to get regular checkups with a doctor or healthcare professional and to report any new symptoms right away. Some of the more serious symptoms of a leaky heart valve can include: • chest pain • fatigue • • • • swelling in your neck, abdomen, or legs According to the • • • The two main treatment options for valve ...