Cardiac Valvulopathy

Maria Bouzaid

What is?

Cardiac Valvulopathy is a condition in which the heart valve becomes inflamed and stiff.

The valve does not retain adequately the blood during the period of the cycle in which the valve must remain closed, producing the returning of the blood towards the previous chamber.

The valves can get damaged for infections, for traumatism, for aging, etc. Years ago the fundamental reason was the rheumatic fever, an infrequent disease now in the countries developed

The most frequent is the degenerative valvulopatía in elderly patients, that there consists of the aging and hardening of the valves, which limits his mobility and concerns his functioning. It is necessary to bear in mind that the valves are opened and approximately 60 times are closed per minute, so a 70-year-old person will have realized this movement more than 2.000 million times

The gravity of the valvulopathy is classified in 3 groups: +Light: minimal affectation that never needs treatment and only a follow-up. +Moderated: that needs a narrower follow-up and in some occasions it needs treatment. +Severe: that will need surgical treatment always and when there are fulfilled a series of associate requirements.

The four heart valves that may have diseases are:

Mitral valve: separates the left atrium from the left ventricleAortic valve separates the left ventricle from the aortaPulmonary valve: separates the right ventricle from the pulmonary arteryTricuspid valve: separates the right atrium from the right ventricle

Symptoms of valve disease depend mainly on:- Increased pressure in the atria- Commitment of cardiac output- Imbalance between supply and myocardial O2 consumption

If the heart is damaged, it is more likely that is infected. Endocarditis is an infection of the heart lining. It can affect the heart valves and can be very serious.If someone has a heart valve disease, he may need to take antibiotics before surgery to reduce the risk of infection.

Complications

Surgery

The defective heart valve can be replaced with an artificial valve (valve replacement) or can be repaired if possible (valve repair). Both procedures are performed under general anesthesia. This means you will be asleep during the operation.defective