Heart valve disease can hinder that operation, however. Heart valves are strong, thin flaps of tissue that open and close to allow blood to flow properly through the heart. As the heart pumps, the valves stretch back and forth, keeping blood flowing in the right direction. They work hard, moving with each beat of the heart.
Heart Valve Disease
Heart valve disease may cause the valves not to open enough to let blood flow freely. Or the opposite may happen - valves may not close as completely as they should, and blood leaks between chambers when it should not. Heart valve disease causes the heart to work harder. This may lead to heart failure.
Heart valve disease can be present at birth, and silently can cause problems as the child grows. Heart valve disease might also be caused later in life by infections, heart attacks, heart damage, or other heart disease.
Sometimes, heart valve disease is minor. No treatment is necessary for minor problems. Other times, heart valve disease might require prescription drugs or a medical procedure. Surgery may be recommended to repair or replace the problem valve.
Heart Valve Surgery
Heart valve surgery may be used in one of two ways. The surgeon may repair a valve, or take it out entirely and replace it with an artificial valve.
Mitral valves can usually be repaired and left where they are. Aortic valves usually must be replaced with artificial valves.
Once the cardiologist and patient have reached a decision to proceed with surgery, they will need to consider options as to which kind of artificial valve will be used: biological or mechanical.
1. Biological valves: Biological heart valves are those made from humans or animals. These valves are often made from pig aortic valves. Some have been made from cow tissues.
2. Mechanical valves: Mechanical heart valves are made of metal, plastic, and pyrolytic carbon. They are very strong, and will usually last a lifetime.
Heart Valve Surgery Complications
Heart valve surgery complications can occur. Usually these problems are linked to the type of artificial valve used. Although there is little difference among valve types as far as the patient is concerned, surgeons often prefer one over another because of the way it is sewn into place.
Heart valve surgery complications that you will want to discuss with your cardiologist include, but may not be limited to the following.
1. Blood clots tend to form on all mechanical valves. The risk of these blood clots causing a stroke in the patient is small, but definite. To counteract the blood clot risk, patients are required to take blood thinners for the rest of their lives. Blood thinners are usually safe, but they can increase bleeding within the body. If that bleeding occurs in the brain, it can lead to death.
2. Blood clots sometimes form on biological valves as well, but the risk is greatly reduced. Patients take anticoagulants for only 6 weeks to 3 months. The main problem with these artificial valves is that they eventually wear out and must be replaced. Their expected life is 10 to 15 years, so a young person might have to have several replacements.
3. Anesthesia and the rerouting of your blood through a bypass machine may cause heart valve surgery complications such as arrhythmia, pneumonia, kidney failure, stroke, and death.
4. Blood clots are another complication that may result from heart valve surgery. These usually show up a few days after surgery, causing pain and swelling in the leg or legs affected. If a blood clot is dislodged from the leg, it can travel to the lungs and cause shortness of breath, chest pain, or even death.
5. Other heart valve surgery complications are: bleeding during or after surgery that may require a blood transfusion; infection in the chest incision; and deep infections in the heart or the breastbone.
6. The new valve may malfunction shortly after surgery or much later, requiring emergency surgery. This is rare, but can result in death.
7. Arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeats) may occur after heart valve surgery. These are controlled by medication. They usually stop after a few days or weeks, but some become permanent.
CAUTION: The author is not a medical professional, and offers the information in this article for educational purposes only. Please discuss it with your physician before relying on it in any way.
The heart is one of the strongest muscles in the body and it is divided into two parts. The top part contains the two atrium chambers and the bottom half contains the two ventricle chambers. The atrium's collect blood from outside of the heart area and forces it into the ventricular chambers. The two ventricular chambers distribute the blood into the lungs for oxygenation or into the rest of the human body depending on which one of the ventricular chambers you are looking at.
Some times one or more of the four sets of valves become damaged due to disease, injury or you could be born with a hart valve defect. Normally the he valves will allow the blood to flow in only one direction but when damaged the valves will not operate correctly. Valvular regurgitation (leakiness) and stenosis (stiffness) are the two major type of heart valve disease. If the damage to the valve is large enough you could suffer from heart valve disease and if left unchecked the possibility of a heart attack or even death is greatly increased.
Causes of heart valve disease.
The recreational use of Amphetamines, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Ecstasy and other drugs can overwork the heart and lead to a heart valve disease.
Another cause is a condition known as congenital abnormality which is a defect in the heart valve that is present at birth such as a heart murmur, small hole in the valve or some type malformation of the valves.
Narrowing of the blood vessels or arteries leading to and away from the heart can cause enough stress on the valves of the heart to cause damage. This can be caused by extensive calcification that sometimes occurs in old age such as atherosclerosis.
Bacterial infection, inflammation of the valve, and diseases such as rheumatic fever may also lead to heart valve problems.
Symptoms of some type of heart valve disease can be very mild and can be attributed to a number of different problems such as asthma, heartburn, cynosis (a blueish coloration to the lips and to the bed of the finger nails). It is a serious condition and you should never try to self-diagnose the problem.
If you notice any of the following symptoms during physical activity your should report it to your health care provider as soon as possible. If you experience dizzy spells or faintness, shortness of breath, chest pain, skin coloration changes to a gray or blueish tint (pink or red is normal), or your recovery time from physical activity is excessive.
Obviously good diet and exercise will greatly reduce your chances of developing some type of heart valve problems. As with any medical condition early detection and treatment is paramount in the successful recovery from heart valve disease.
Common Vitamins and over the counter products can help with heart valve disease such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Sytrinol, Pantothenic Acid, Niacin, Policosanol and Antioxidants.
Vitamin C has show to lower high blood pressure.
Vitamin E improves circulation and promotes normal blood clotting and is known to help the red blood cells to live longer.
Sytrinol are known to be useful in helping maintain a healthy cholesterol level in the body by reducing triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein levels.
Pantothenic Acid is another form of nontoxic B vitamins and is critical in the metabolism and synthesis of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
Niacin is the closest thing available to a perfect treatment that corrects most causes of coronary heart disease. Niacin blocks the release of fatty acids from fat cells. Niacin plays a critical role in energy production, gene expression, and hormone synthesis. You cannot live without it. Niacin also tends to shift LDL particle distribution to larger particle size and improve HDL functioning.
Policosanol is a natural supplement derived from sugar cane and it promotes healthy platelet function and helps to maintain normal cholesterol levels in the human body.
Natural antioxidants are abundant in fruits and vegetables such as, apples, blueberries, broccoli, cherries, cranberries, grapes, and spinach.
Lifestyle changes can also lower the risk of medical emergencies. If you smoke quit, eat healthy foods, maintain proper weight and get regular exercise.
This report is nutritional in nature and not to be construed as medical advice.
Always consult your doctor before using this information.
Both Anna Hart & David Cowley are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
David Cowley has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Aging Supplement and Heart Conditions. David Cowley has created numerous articles on heart disease. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to heart disease and how to treat them. Visit . David Cowley's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.