Take Charge of Your Heart Valve Treatment Options

Your heart works hard every day to keep blood moving through your body — and your heart valves play a big role in making that happen. When a valve isn’t opening or closing the way it should, it can affect how efficiently your heart pumps. If you’ve been diagnosed with heart valve disease (or are experiencing symptoms), understanding your options can help you feel more confident and prepared for what’s ahead.

Types of heart valve disease

Heart valve diseases in adults are typically categorized into two main types, regurgitation and stenosis.  Understanding this is a crucial first step in making informed care decisions.  A properly functioning valve allows the heart to pump blood forward and in one direction.

• Regurgitation occurs when the valve does not close completely, causing blood to flow backward as the heart pumps.
• Stenosis occurs when the valve is unable to open completely, limiting the amount of blood flowing through the heart.

In both of these conditions, the heart needs to work harder than it needs to in order to maintain proper flow to the body.  This inefficiency, if not treated, can lead to weakening of the heart muscle.

Symptoms of heart valve diseases

Many people live with a heart valve that do not work correctly, sometimes without ever experiencing problems. Still, it is important to seek medical guidance once a heart valve condition is discovered since it can worsen over time.  

Signs and symptoms may include:

• Feeling like you can’t get enough air (shortness of breath)
• Dizziness or fainting
• Chest pain when you’re physically active
• Fast or slow heart rate or rhythm (arrhythmia)
• Fullness in your belly (abdomen), ankles, feet or the veins in your neck
• Unexplained fatigue

Treatments for heart valve disease

If you have been diagnosed with a heart valve disease, it can be successfully managed with medicines and observation. Sometimes, surgical procedures may be needed to correct the valve to allow for efficient pumping of blood through the heart.

There are several reasons your specialist may recommend heart valve surgery, including:

• Changes in your heart valve. Tests may indicate that the changes are impacting your heart function.
• Damage to your heart valve. If an infection (endocarditis) damages the valve, your doctor may advise surgery.
• Defects in your heart valve. These may cause severe heart symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, heart failure or fainting.
• During open-heart surgery for another reason. If you’re having surgery for another heart condition — coronary artery bypass graft surgery, for example — your doctor may want to treat your heart valve disease at the same time.
• Other problems appear. For instance, you may have received a new heart valve in the past, and it is no longer working properly, or there may be other problems requiring surgery, such as infection, bleeding or blood clots.

There are two main types of surgery that you may have:

• Heart valve repair, where your surgeon reconstructs one or more of the valve’s components.  Valve repair maintains as much of your valve reducing the amount of artificial material used in the heart.
• Heart valve replacement, where your surgeon removes the diseased valve and replaces it with an artificial valve.

The right approach depends on your specific condition, overall health and how well your heart is functioning. An experienced heart specialist can walk you through your options and help guide you on which treatment is best for you. 

Find a specialist you can trust

If you have a heart valve condition, you will want a care team you can count on to answer your questions, ease your fears and get you back to the activities and people you love. Luminis Health is known for emergency life-saving heart attack care, a dedicated heart center, and today’s most promising technologies and treatments. Learn more at Luminis.Health/HeartHealth.