The aortic valve is the one-way outlet between the lower left heart chamber and the aorta, the large artery that carries oxygenated blood to the body. Malformations, infections and other disease processes can cause obstruction or leaking of the...
Blood normally passes through the aortic valve to the aorta and out of the heart. Problems with the valve can obstruct blood flow or cause blood to leak from the valve as it closes. When defects in the aortic valve cannot be repaired, doctors may...
The heart contains four chambers with a wall separating the right and left sides. The two upper chambers, known as the atria, receive blood while the two lower chambers, known as the ventricles, pump blood. Blood flows in only one direction...
Aortic valve replacement surgery is a major heart procedure designed to help restore functionality to the aortic valve according to the Texas Heart Institute. The surgery may be performed in response to a valve defect, calcification of the valve...
Aortic valve replacement is an open-heart surgical procedure for treating a diseased aortic valve. Wearing out due to age is the most common cause of aortic valve disease, according to Thoralf M. Sundt, M.D., member of The Society of Thoracic...
The heart functions to pump blood to and from the lungs to receive oxygen and then pump the oxygenated blood through the body. Blood flows through the four chambers of the heart through heart valves that open and close as the chambers contract and...
Narrowing of the aortic valve is referred to as aortic stenosis. Caused by the inability of the valve to open normally, the heart has to work harder to pump blood past the narrow valve. This disease is mainly diagnosed using Doppler...
The heart has four functioning one-way valves; the aortic, mitral, pulmonary and tricuspid valves. These valves allow a measured amount of blood to flow from chamber to chamber in the heart and finally out to the aorta. When these valves become...
Aortic valve stenosis is a condition in which the heart's aortic valve narrows, preventing the valve from opening fully. The narrowed heart valve obstructs blood flow, causing the heart to have to work harder. Over time the heart becomes weakened...
The valves in the heart that keep blood flowing in the right direction may become defective, requiring one or more of them to need repair or replacement. Heart valve replacements can be done via open heart surgery or using a minimally invasive...
Heart valve replacement surgeries are common procedures done to improve the health of people with heart valve diseases. Heart valves open so blood can flow through the chambers of the heart and flow back out of the heart into large arteries....
The aortic valve separates the lower left chamber of the heart, the left ventricle and the aorta, the blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body. The one-way aortic valve normally has three leaflets, or cusps. Bicuspid aortic valve...
Heart valve replacement surgeries are used to treat patients with torn, obstructed or leaking valves that cannot be patched or repaired. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, research shows that more than one-third of those...
The heart consists of four chambers, the left and right atria and left and right ventricles. The lower chambers, the ventricles, pump blood to different parts of the body, with the left side sending oxygenated blood from the lungs out to the rest...
The four valves of the heart--the mitral, aortic, tricuspid and pulmonic--separate the four chambers of the heart. These valves are critical for maintaining the direction of blood flow through the heart, and when working properly, allow the heart...
Your heart relies on four valves to ensure that blood can move through your heart without leaking backward. If you experience weakness or damage to one of your heart valves, your physician may recommend heart valve replacement to restore your...
Aortic stenosis (AS) is a very common heart valve disorder. The condition is present in almost 5 percent of adults over the age of 75. AS is the narrowing of the valve leading out of the heart. The most common reason is calcification of the valve...
When a heart valve is severely damaged or diseased, a surgeon may recommend replacement of the valve. This requires open heart surgery in order to access the valve and replace it. The patient will be given either a mechanical valve--one made...
The heart is a complex organ made of four chambers: arteries, capillaries, veins and muscle. KidsHealth.org reports that the heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through about 60,000 miles of blood vessels several times a day. At about 100,000 beats...
A buildup of calcium on your heart increases your risk of heart disease and heart attack. When calcium builds up in your aortic valves, the blood flow to your heart is reduced, which can cause these life-threatening medical problems. If your...
Heart valve repair and heart valve replacement both represent significant surgeries for most patients. As a result, exploring the alternatives to these major surgeries is a worthy path of investigation. Understanding the alternatives to heart...
Aortic heart disease is a condition affecting the aortic valve, one of four valves in the heart. Most aortic valve problems are related to stenosis, when the valve becomes rigid an unable to open properly, or regurgitation, when the valve leaflets...
Bicuspid aortic valve disease (BAVSD) is a group of disorders that affect the heart. The aortic valve is a part of the heart that normally has three cusps (also called leaflets) that manages the blood flow in the heart's left ventricle. The...
The efficiency of the heart as a pump depends not only on the force of its contractions, but also on the correct functioning of its four valves. The valves are subject to a variety of disorders, most commonly the failure to open or close properly....
Procedures to treat heart disease vary from minimally invasive outpatient ones to heart transplant surgery requiring a lengthy hospital stay and recovery time. Heart diseases that require intervention include heart failure, heart attack, blocked...
Your heart works to keep all of your body supplied with blood and oxygen all the time. While there are some conditions that can occur in younger people--almost any of them--more often these conditions develop over time as you get older. Some of...
The aortic, mitral, pulmonary and tricuspid valves are the four valves found in the heart; they open to allow blood flow forward, and close to prevent backward flow. A damaged valve can be replaced with either a mechanical valve created out of...
The heart contains four one-way valves that open and close in sync with heart contractions. Malformation of a heart valve or damage acquired through disease sometimes necessitates heart valve replacement. A poorly functioning valve may be replaced...
An aortic dissection occurs when a tear develops in the inside layer of the aorta, which is the largest artery in the body and carries blood away from the heart to the rest of the body. An aortic dissection is relatively rare, but more common in...
