What should I do if there is a problem with the life-sustaining membrane or the heart valve?
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There are four valves in the heart, respectively guarding the exits of the four chambers of the heart. With the opening and closing of the valves, the blood flows in the correct direction, only going forward and never looking back. But if there is a problem with the valve, it cannot be opened or closed properly, and some blood flow in the heart will go forward and some will go backward, which will be disrupted.
Before explaining heart valve disease, let us draw our memories back to junior high school biology. Do you still remember the direction of blood flow? When blood returns to the heart from the great vessels, it will flow into the left and right “atria”. After the blood fills the atrium, it is ready to flow to the ventricle. and tricuspid valve) open to allow blood to flow from the atria to the ventricles.
After the blood gradually accumulates in the ventricle, it is the turn of the ventricle to contract and squeeze the blood to the large blood vessels! When the ventricles contract, the valves between the ventricles and the great vessels (the aortic and pulmonary valves) open, allowing the ventricles to squeeze blood into the great vessels, while the valves between the atria and the ventricles (the mitral and tricuspid valves) Closes to prevent backflow of blood back into the atrium.
Finally, when the ventricles stop contracting and begin to relax, it is the turn of the aortic and pulmonary valves to close, and blood will not flow back into the ventricles.
Between each heartbeat, this pattern is repeated. Let the blood shuttle gracefully between the heart, lungs, and body. look! Isn’t the human body wonderful?
However, if the delicate valve fails, it will not work so well.
Valve problems can mainly be presented in the following ways:
- valve prolapse: The closed valve is not closed tightly, so part of the blood flows back and cannot flow forward with all its strength. As a result, the body can get less circulating blood, and the heart has to work harder to make up for this loss.
- valve stenosis: The valves become thick and hard, and may fuse together. As a result, the valve cannot open wide enough when it should open, and less blood can flow through it. The heart therefore has to work hard to squeeze blood through the tiny valve openings. Patients may suffer from heart failure as a result.
A problem with the valve usually causes no immediate discomfort to the patient,Many valvular diseases are diagnosed by a physician accidentally finding a heart murmur during auscultation。
After several years, the patient may have symptoms, but the severity of the symptoms does not necessarily correlate positively with the severity of the valve disease!
- Feel short of breath when moving or lying down, and need to prop up a few pillows on the side of the head when sleeping.
- Feeling tired with daily life, dizzy, often close to passing out, or really passing out suddenly.
- Swollen ankles and soles
- tightness in the chest
- feel heart pounding
Who is more prone to valve disease?
Some patients have congenital heart disease, which is more likely to affect the aortic valve or pulmonary valve.maybe the problem isThe valves are the wrong size or the valves do not coapt properly. For example, the aortic valve normally has three leaflets, but some people are born with an aortic valve with only two leaflets. At this time, it may not be fully opened when it is opened, and it may not be tightly closed when it is closed, and the wear rate is fast.
Some people also develop heart valve disease later, usually because an infection or other disease affects the structure of the valve. Calcification and fibrosis of the valve itself, widening of the valve annulus, elongation or rupture of the chordae and papillary muscles supported under the valve leaflets will all affect the opening and closing of the valve.
In the days when there were no antibiotics in the past, there was no cureStreptococcusFor repeated infections caused by bacteria, even if the throat infection is cured after the child is infected, the heart valve continues to inflame and the structure changes. We call it rheumatic heart disease.Damage to such valves increases patientArrhythmiaandheart failureis possible, but symptoms often do not appear until decades after the onset of rheumatic fever.
Mitral valve prolapse, the most common form of valvular heart disease in developed countrieswith a prevalence of approximately 1% to 2% of the population.
The mitral valve (also known as the mitral valve) is located between the left atrium and the left ventricle. If the left ventricle contracts, the mitral valve should close to prevent blood from flowing back into the left atrium. In the case of mitral valve prolapse, the valve tissue becomes abnormally elongated. When the left ventricle contracts, the mitral valve prolapses into the left atrium, and blood easily flows back into the left atrium.
In addition to mitral valve prolapse, older age, cardiomyopathy, infectious diseases affecting the heart (such as syphilis), evermyocardial infarctionOr heart attack, three highs (high blood pressure, high blood fat, high blood sugar), etc. will also increase the chance of suffering from valve disease.
Usually, when a doctor performs a physical examination on a patient, if a heart murmur is found in the patient (representing blood flow through a narrowed valve or reverse flow of blood), valvular disease may be suspected. Your doctor will order an electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, and chest X-ray.
Because heart valve disease will disrupt the normal direction of blood flow and increase the burden on the heart, it is easy for patients to suffer fromblood clot、stroke, and risk of heart failure and irregular heartbeat. So it is not a disease that can be ignored! When it comes to treatment, doctors mainly look at the severity of valve damage and the severity of symptoms to determine the treatment method.
Some patients with mild symptoms can improve their quality of life by taking medicine and adjusting their living habits. However, if the valve is severely damaged or the burden on the heart is too great, surgery should be considered.
surgery can bevalve repair, such as separating a valve that has fused, or closing a prolapsed valve a little tighter.When the valve condition cannot be repaired, it should be consideredReplacement valve. Where does a new valve come from?The source may be biological valves from bovine, porcine or prosthetic valves made of metal。
The service life of biological valves is relatively short, and reoperation may be required in a relatively short period of time. After choosing an artificial metal valve, you need to take anticoagulants for a long time to avoid thrombus getting stuck. At present, in addition to opening the chest cavity for repair and replacement, these surgical methods may also be completed through a catheter. It is necessary to communicate with the doctor which kind of surgery you want or are suitable for!