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...
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...
Heart valve replacement is a complex, last-resort, surgical procedure aimed at removing faulty or damaged heart valves and replacing them with either a mechanical or a biologic valve. Cleveland Clinic describes the procedure as removing the...
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 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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
Medline explains that before heart valve replacement surgery can be done, the patient needs to talk with his doctor to choose what kind of replacement valve will be used. Some replacement valves are made out of mechanical tissue, such as ceramics,...
Two valves out on the left side of the heart typically work harder and therefore are more likely to need replacing than the valves on the right. These valves are called the mitral valve, which lies between the atrium and the ventricle (upper and...
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 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...
Mayoclinic.org states that heart valves are vital to the proper functioning of the circulatory system as their function is to prevent the blood from regurgitating. Several diseases can destroy or damage valves. When the heart valve's function is...
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...
Exercise is often included as part of long-term therapy for any form of heart surgery. Most of the exercise focuses on walking or biking, either of which can be used to gradually increase heart rate as a way to improve fitness and work the muscles...
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...
The heart consists of four chambers, which are the right and left atria and the right and left ventricle. Blood enters the heart via the right atrium and then travels to the right ventricle, which pumps blood to the lungs. Once the blood returns...
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...
Initiating any activity after heart surgery, including prosthetic valve replacement, can be physically overwhelming. Because your heart has been through tremendous stress and must adjust to the physical changes made with the valve replacement, you...
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....
Specifically, mitral valve disease indicates either mitral stenosis or mitral regurgitation. Mitral stenosis has been linked to rheumatic fever or any complication causing inflammation of the heart, such as streptococci infection, states Leonard...
Heart valve disease describes a disorder in the heart that occurs when at least one of the four heart valves fails to function properly, interfering with the circulation of blood. The four heart valves--the mitral valve, the tricuspid valve, the...
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...
The heart is comprised of four valves--the aortic, pulmonary, tricuspid and mitral valves--that all play a vital role in controlling the force, volume and direction of blood flow through the heart, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Congenital...
Heart surgery -- once considered a rare and dangerous procedure -- now occurs thousands of times each day in the United States. People have heart surgery for a variety of reasons, including blocked coronary arteries or the need for a new heart...
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...
Endocarditis is an inflammation of the endocardium, the inner layer of the heart, including the heart valves. Learn more about endocarditic in this health video.
Mitral stenosis is a vavular heart disease denoting the narrowing of the heart's mitral valve. Learn more about mitral stenosis and the heart in this health video.
Tricuspid regurgitation is a heart condition wherein the tricuspid valve fails in systole. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for Tricuspid Regurgitation in this video.
