Valves of heart

New to managing your heart valve condition? We encourage you to take time to learn how your heart works and how each of the valves function. When you understand the specifics of your condition, you’ll be better equipped to understand the treatment options. We have helpful media and tips from people who have walked the journey to wellness. • Visit • Understanding the • Additional Valve disease treatment plans can be complex, with many factors determining who might be a candidate for medical therapy or valve repair or replacement. We want to help you be a well-prepared participant in your

Overview An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole in the heart between the upper chambers (atria). The hole increases the amount of blood that flows through the lungs. The condition is present at birth (congenital heart defect). Small atrial septal defects might be found by chance and never cause a concern. Others close during infancy or early childhood. A large, long-term atrial septal defect can damage the heart and lungs. Surgery may be needed to repair an atrial septal defect and to prevent complications. Types Types of atrial septal defects include: • Secundum. This is the most common type of ASD. It occurs in the middle of the wall between the upper heart chambers (atrial septum). • Primum. This type of ASD affects the lower part of the atrial septum and might occur with other congenital heart defects. • Sinus venosus. This rare type of ASD usually occurs in the upper part of the wall separating the heart chambers. It's also associated with other heart structure changes present at birth. • Coronary sinus. In this rare type of ASD, part of the wall between the coronary sinus — which is part of the vein system of the heart — and the left upper heart chamber (left atrium) is missing. Symptoms Many babies born with atrial septal defects have no signs or symptoms. Signs or symptoms can begin in adulthood. Atrial septal defect signs and symptoms can include: • Shortness of breath, especially when exercising • Fatigue • Swelling of legs, feet or belly (abdomen) • Irregular h...

When refering to evidence in academic writing, you should always try to reference the primary (original) source. That is usually the journal article where the information was first stated. In most cases Physiopedia articles are a secondary source and so should not be used as references. Physiopedia articles are best used to find the original sources of information (see the references list at the bottom of the article). If you believe that this Physiopedia article is the primary source for the information you are refering to, you can use the button below to access a related citation statement. Cite article The heart is a muscular organ that serves to collect deoxygenated • The heart pumps around 7,200 litres of blood in a day throughout the body • The heart is situated at the centre of the chest and points slightly towards the left. • On average, the heart beats about 100,000 times a day, i.e., around 3 billion beats in a lifetime. • An adult heart beats about 60 to 80 times per minute, and newborn babies heart beats faster than an adult which is about 70 to 190 beats per minute. Anatomy [ | ] The heart is a conical hollow muscular organ situated in the middle mediastinum and is enclosed within the pericardium. It is positioned posteriorly to the body of the sternum with one-third situated on the right and two-thirds on the left of the midline. The heart measures 12 x 8.5 x 6 cm and weighs ~310 g (males) and ~255 g (females). It pumps blood to various parts of the body to m...

• Healthy Living • • • • • • • • • Health Topics • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Professionals • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • About Us • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Get Involved • • • • • • • • Ways To Give • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • CPR • • • • • • • • • • • To better understand your valve condition and what your health care provider will discuss, it helps to know the role each heart valve plays in healthy blood circulation. Every part of the circulatory system must work together to deliver blood, oxygen and nutrients to all tissues. What role does each play in healthy circulation? The four valves in order of circulation are: • Tricuspid Valve • Has three leaflets or cusps. • Separates the top right chamber (right atrium) from the bottom right chamber (right ventricle). • Opens to allow blood to flow from the right atrium to the right ventricle. • Prevents the back flow of blood from the right ventricle to the right atrium. Related valve problems include: • Pulmonary Valve (or Pulmonic Valve) (link opens in new window) • Has three leaflets. • Separates the right ventricle from the pulmonary artery. • Opens to allow blood to be pumped from the right ventricle to the lungs (through the pulmonary artery) where it will receive oxygen. • Prevents the back flow of blood from the pulmonary artery to the right ventricle. Related valve problems include: • Mitral Valve • Has two leaflets. • Separates the top left chamber (left atrium) fro...

Heart valve replacement is an option for people with a valve that can’t be repaired. Heart valve replacement can improve symptoms and quality of life. Biological and mechanical valves are available as well as different surgical approaches. Success rates are high, and people can live many years with a replacement heart valve. Overview What is a heart valve replacement? Heart valve replacement is a procedure to replace one of your Sometimes, a valve doesn’t form right when you’re born. Some people may have a valve that gets too You have four valves that control where your blood goes in your Your blood moves: • From one part of your heart to the next. • To your lungs to get oxygen. • To your Like a sink drain that doesn’t hold all the water or completely drain it, a diseased valve keeps some of your blood from going where it’s supposed to go. If one of your valves isn’t working right, you may need to take medicine or have your valve repaired. If these treatments don’t work, you may need a heart valve replacement. Types of Heart Valves Biological Valves Biological valves (also called tissue or bioprosthetic valves) are made of: • Cow tissue (bovine). • Pig tissue (porcine). • Human tissue (allografts or homografts). In general, there’s no difference in durability between the types of biological valves. Biological valves may have some artificial parts to give the valve support and make it easier to put in place. Homograft Valves A homograft (or allograft) is: • A human heart va...

Your heart chambers are four hollow spaces within your heart. Your upper chambers are called your right atrium and left atrium. Your lower chambers are called your right ventricle and left ventricle. Your chambers work together to manage your heartbeat. They also send blood into your lungs to gain oxygen before recirculating throughout your body. Function What do the heart chambers do? Your heart chambers manage your But with each beat, a complex process occurs inside your heart chambers. Your chambers keep your blood moving throughout your veins and arteries. They also make sure your blood receives the oxygen it needs to support your organs. What is the function of each heart chamber? You can think of your heart as one big team. The chambers work with each other and other parts of your heart — like your Right atrium Your right atrium kicks off the action by taking in all the oxygen-poor (deoxygenated) blood from your body. Blood enters through two large veins called your superior vena cava and your inferior vena cava. Your right atrium takes this blood and passes it on to the next player, your right ventricle. Right ventricle Blood from your right atrium passes through your Left atrium Once in your left atrium, the oxygen-rich (oxygenated) blood is almost ready to travel around your body. You can think of both atria (the plural form of “atrium”) as reservoirs. While your right atrium holds oxygen-poor blood, your left atrium holds oxygen-rich blood. Your left atrium then ...

Endocarditis Endocarditis occurs when bacteria or other germs enter the bloodstream and travel to the heart. The germs then stick to damaged heart valves or damaged heart tissue. Endocarditis is a life-threatening inflammation of the inner lining of the heart's chambers and valves. This lining is called the endocardium. Endocarditis is usually caused by an infection. Bacteria, fungi or other germs get into the bloodstream and attach to damaged areas in the heart. Things that make you more likely to get endocarditis are artificial heart valves, damaged heart valves or other heart defects. Symptoms Symptoms of endocarditis can vary from person to person. Endocarditis may develop slowly or suddenly. It depends on the type of germs causing the infection and whether there are other heart problems. Common symptoms of endocarditis include: • Aching joints and muscles • Chest pain when you breathe • Fatigue • Flu-like symptoms, such as fever and chills • Night sweats • Shortness of breath • Swelling in the feet, legs or belly • A new or changed whooshing sound in the heart (murmur) Less common endocarditis symptoms can include: • Unexplained weight loss • Blood in the urine • Tenderness under the left rib cage (spleen) • Painless red, purple or brown flat spots on the soles bottom of the feet or the palms of the hands (Janeway lesions) • Painful red or purple bumps or patches of darkened skin (hyperpigmented) on the tips of the fingers or toes (Osler nodes) • Tiny purple, red or b...

Harvard University researchers have developed a synthetic heart valve that can be produced in under 10 minutes using 3D printing. They tested the prototype in sheep, which successfully regulated blood flow for an hour. When heart valves become damaged or stop functioning properly due to a disease, the flow of blood in the body is disturbed. This could further lead to problems like stroke, arrhythmia, and So doctors Such operations are costly; currently, synthetic valves take months to produce. The researchers claim that their 3D-printed valve has the potential to overcome both these challenges. Sarah Motta, Michael Peters, and Christophe Chantre The proposed synthetic valve comprises a mesh-like network of nanofibers that behaves like the extracellular matrix supporting the growth of natural heart valves inside our body. The fabrication of these nanofibers is achieved using focused rotary jet spinning (FRJS), an The researchers first created a heart valve-shaped frame and then used air jets to push a liquid polymer into the frame. This led to the development of flawless nanofiber meshwork —- the resulting valve has a porous scaffold where cells can come and grow. Kit Parker, senior study author and a professor of bioengineering at Harvard, further The researchers claim that unlike currently existing technologies, which might take weeks or months to produce, they can spin a complete synthetic valve in under 10 minutes using the abovementioned method. Moreover, such valves c...