Valves

When a Heart valve opens only partially, making the heart work very hard to pump blood through it, is called Valvular stenosis, all 4 valves can get stenosis:

• Tricuspid stenosis
• Pulmonary valve stenosis
• Mitral stenosis
• Aortic stenosis

Regurgitation – The valve which does not shut correct. It leaks, many a times leading to high amount of backflow of blood. All the valves can get affected and lead to regurgitation

• Tricuspid regurgitation
• Pulmonary regurgitation
• Mitral regurgitation, better known as mitral valve prolapse (MVP)
• Aortic regurgitation

Diseases in the heart valves can be caused by multiple reasons. Some of the major ones are:

• A birth defect 
• An inflammation of the heart tissue known as Infective endocarditis.
• Rheumatic fever, an inflammatory infection usually caused by Streptococcus bacteria 
• Changes such as calcium deposits due to ageing
• A heart attack 
• Coronary artery illness, a narrowing and solidifying of arteries supplying blood to the heart 
• Cardiomyopathy, which includes degenerative changes within the heart muscle 
• Syphilis, a Sexually Transmitted Disease can cause problems in the aortic valve but it is very uncommon today as the disease is usually managed before it aggravates to an extent that it can cause damage to the heart.
• Hypertension, or high blood pressure 
• Aortic aneurysm, an irregular swelling or bulging of the aorta 
• Atherosclerosis, narrowing of the arteries caused by plaque formation due to deposition of cholesterol and subsequent inflammation.
• Myxomatous degeneration, a weakening of connective tissue within the mitral valve 
• Lupus, a persistent immune system disease.

• Dizziness or fainting
• Breathing difficulty 
• Heart palpitations, rapid heart beating
• Chest pain 
• Unexplained swelling within the body

Medications, or if symptoms increase in severity, Heart Valve surgery is necessary which can be traditional or a minimally invasive procedure called as balloon valvuloplasty.

Shortness of breath, chest pain, weariness, swollen lower legs and feet, trouble working out, fast or unpredictable pulse.

Medications can be prescribed to help get relief from symptoms and decrease the danger of further issues with heart valve disease. Although the medication does not help to keep a valve from leaking or it does not help to open a valve which is extremely constricted.

It generally takes four to eight week for recovery. In case of minimal invasive surgery, the recovery is even sooner. The specialists will guide on the instructions post surgery on physical activities, ongoing wound care and getting back to routine.

The life expectancy of the patient definitely increases with the replacement surgery of the heart valve. Due to advancement in the medical technologies and the heart care facilities, specialists have reported a success rate of about 94-97 percent. 

• Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi, 
• Medanta The Medicity in Gurgaon, 
• Wockhardt Hospital and Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai; 
• Manipal Hospital, Bangalore; 
• Apollo CVHF, Zydus, Epic and Apex Hospitals in Ahmedabad.

The valves that are manufactured that is artificial valves usually last very long. These are made strong and durable biocompatible materials.

Heart Valve is diagnosed with the main test known as Echocardiography, also known as Echo. Apart from this, few others like Electrocardiogram (ECG), nuclear cardiac stress test, Coronary angiogram, Coronary computed tomography angiogram (CCTA) might also be useful.