An Overview of Heart Valve Disease

What is a heart valve?

The heart consists of 4 chambers – 2 atria (upper chambers) and 2 ventricles (lower chambers). Blood flows through the valves as it leaves each chamber of the heart. Valves prevent backflow of blood. They act as one-way blood inlets on one side of the ventricle and one-way blood outlets on the other side of the ventricle. The 4 heart valves include:

Tricuspid valve – Located between the right atrium and right ventricle.

Pulmonary valve – Located between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery.

Mitral valve – Located between the left atrium and left ventricle.

Aortic valve – Located between the left ventricle and the aorta.

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What is heart valve disease?

Heart valve disease can be caused by 2 main types of problems:

Regurgitation (or valve leakage). If the valve is not closed completely, it will cause blood to flow back through the valve. This reduces forward blood flow and can cause the heart to overload.

Stenosis (or valve narrowing). When the valve opening narrows, it restricts blood flow from the ventricles or atria. The heart is forced to pump blood with increased force to move blood through narrowed or tightened (stenotic) valves.

The heart valves can experience regurgitation and stenosis at the same time. Several heart valves can also be affected simultaneously. When the heart valves don’t open and close properly, the effects on the heart can be serious, potentially affecting the heart’s ability to pump enough blood around the body. Heart valve problems are one of the causes of heart failure.

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What are the symptoms of heart valve disease?

Mild to moderate heart valve disease may not cause any symptoms. These are the most common symptoms of valvular heart disease:

• Chest pain
• Heartbeat caused by irregular heartbeat
• Fatigue
• Dizzy
• Low or high blood pressure, depending on valve disease
• Lack of air
• Abdominal pain due to an enlarged liver (if the tricuspid valve is not functioning)
• Leg swelling

Symptoms of heart valve disease can appear like any other medical problem. Always visit your doctor for a diagnosis.

What is the average cost of Heart Valve Surgery in Hyderabad?

The average valve replacement cost in India is Rs. 2,40,000. Yet, it depends upon multiple factors.

What causes heart valve damage?

Causes of heart valve damage vary depending on the type of condition present and may include:

• Changes in heart valve structure due to aging
• Coronary heart disease and heart attack
• heart valve infection
• congenital defects
• Syphilis (sexually transmitted infection)
• Myxomatous degeneration (an inherited connective tissue disease that weakens the heart valve tissue)

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How is heart valve disease diagnosed?

Your doctor may suspect you have valvular disease if the heart sounds heard with a stethoscope are abnormal. This is usually the first step in diagnosing valvular heart disease. A characteristic heart murmur (an abnormal sound in the heart due to turbulent blood flow through the valves) can often indicate regurgitation or valve stenosis. To further determine the type of valve disease and the extent of the valve damage, the doctor may use one of the following tests:

Electrocardiogram (ECG) – Tests that record the electrical activity of the heart show abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias) and can sometimes detect damage to the heart muscle.

Echocardiogram (echo) – This non-invasive test uses sound waves to evaluate the chambers and valves of the heart. The echo sound waves create an image on the monitor as the ultrasound transducer passes through the heart. This is the best test to assess heart valve function.

Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) – In this test, a small ultrasound transducer is passed through the esophagus. Sound waves create pictures of the heart’s valves and chambers on a computer monitor without disturbing the ribs or lungs.

Chest x-ray – This test uses an invisible beam of electromagnetic energy to create images of internal tissues, bones, and organs on film. X-rays can show elevations in any area of ​​the heart.

cardiac catheter. In this test, a small, hollow tube (catheter) is inserted through the large artery in the leg or arm leading to the heart to obtain images of the heart and blood vessels. This procedure is useful for determining the type and extent of a particular valve abnormality.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This test uses a combination of large magnets, radio frequencies, and a computer to obtain detailed images of organs and structures in the body.

What is the treatment for heart valve disease?

In some cases, your doctor may only want to monitor your heart valve problems closely for a period of time. However, other options include medication or surgery to repair or replace the valve. Treatment varies depending on the type of heart valve disease and may include:

Medicine – Medication is not a cure for valvular heart disease, but medication can often relieve symptoms. These medications may include:

Beta blockers – digoxin, and calcium channel blockers reduce symptoms of valvular heart disease by controlling heart rate and helping prevent abnormal heart rhythms.

Blood pressure medications, such as diuretics (removes excess water from the body by increasing urine output) or vasodilators (relaxes blood vessels, reducing the force the heart has to pump) to make the heart work more easily.

Surgery – Service or repair of damaged valves may be required. Operations can include:

heart valve repair – In some cases, surgery on the wrong valve can help relieve symptoms. Examples of heart valve repair surgery include remodeling of abnormal valve tissue to allow the valve to function properly or inserting a prosthetic ring to narrow an enlarged valve. In many cases, heart valve repair is preferred because of the use of its own tissue.

Heart valve replacement – If the heart valves are badly damaged or damaged, they may need to be replaced with new ones. Replacement valves can be tissue (biological) valves, which include donated animal and human aortic valves, or mechanical valves, which can be made of metal, plastic, or other man-made materials. This usually requires heart surgery. However, some heart valve diseases, such as aortic valve stenosis or mitral valve regurgitation, can be treated using non-surgical methods.