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Valve Regurgitation

Terms in this set (20)

What is valve regurgitation?
The medical term for leaky heart valves or backflow through a valve as leaflets close or when they don't close properly.
What are the symptoms?
Common symptoms among all valve regurgitations include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, fluttering sensation in the heart, and swollen ankles which occurs when blood backflows into the lungs and causes problems on the right side of the heart.
Are all leaks bad? What about minor ones?
Minor leaks do not require treatment but major ones might place a strain on the heart which can cause it to not pump as much blood because it's working harder to do so.
How is it diagnosed?
Doctors may detect a heart murmur and if they do so, the regurgitation is diagnosed through an echocardiogram. This allows doctor to produce video images of your heart in motion.
What's the difference between prolapse and regurgitation?
In prolapse, the valve leaflets swell upwards as the ventricle contracts. Regurgitation is when the valve leaflets don't close properly which forces the blood to backflow into the atrium.
What is aortic valve regurgitation?
Occurs when the valve between the left ventricle and the aorta doesn't close properly, which causes blood to leak backward into the left ventricle.
What is aortic valve regurgitation caused by?
The main causes are congenital heart defects, complications to infections or other rare causes. It can develop over time and happens more often due to age.
What is pulmonary/pulmonic regurgitation?
Occurs when there is a leaky pulmonary valve. Since this valve controls the flow of blood passing from the right ventricle to the lungs, a leaky valve would cause it to flow back into the heart before becoming oxygenated.
What is pulmonary/pulmonic regurgitation caused by?
It is a rare form of valve regurgitation and is usually caused by complications issued by hypertension.
What is tricuspid regurgitation?
Occurs when the tricuspid valve doesn't close tight enough. This causes the blood to flow backwards into the right upper heart chamber (atrium) as the right lower chamber (ventricle) contracts.
What is tricuspid regurgitation caused by?
Usually caused by an enlarged lower chamber on the right side of the heart but can also develop due to issues on the left side.
What is the most common valve regurgitation?
Mitral valve regurgitation, which affects nearly 2% of the population.
What is mitral valve regurgitation?
When the left ventricle contracts, the mitral valve "doors" close, preventing it from flowing into the left atrium and through the aorta instead.
What is mitral valve regurgitation caused by?
It can be caused by mitral valve prolapse, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, infection, heart attack or other issues that cause the heart to enlarge.
What are the long-term effects of mitral valve regurgitation?
Severe regurgitation means the left ventricle has to pump more blood each time it contracts, and this can over time change the shape and size of the left atrium/ventricle which shifts the valve position, in turn causing more leaks.
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