The aortic valve is one of four valves in the heart. It is important because it ensures unidirectional blood flow out of the heart to the rest of the body. It is housed within the aortic root which is the valve's structural support and is the first portion of the aorta, the largest artery delivering blood to the entire body.
Aortic valve disease occurs in two basic forms: stenosis and regurgitation. Aortic stenosis is a condition in which the leaflets (or cusps) of the valve become restricted in their motion, often due to calcium buildup, narrowing the opening through the valve. Aortic regurgitation occurs when one or more of the cusps are stretched out, torn or stiffened preventing competent closure of the valve after each heart beat. This allows backward blood flow through the valve. With both aortic stenosis and regurgitation, the heart is forced to work harder and less efficiently in order to maintain an adequate amount of blood flow around the body. When severe, this added workload on the heart results in heart failure.
The Center for Heart Valve Disease has a multidisciplinary team to diagnose and treat aortic valve disease. The team includes cardiac surgeons, cardiologists and cardiac nurses with specialized training and experience with valvular disease. The Center uses sophisticated echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging techniques to assess both the aortic valve and overall heart function to accurately qualify and quantify the extent of aortic valve disease so that optimal strategies for management can be formulated.
If it is determined that surgery is required for aortic valve disease, a comprehensive analysis of each patient's circumstances including the type of valve disease, heart function, coexisting medical problems and patient lifestyle is made. This analysis becomes the framework by which the patient and surgeon collaboratively determine what type of valve repair or valve replacement is optimal in their case. Cardiac surgeons, Patrick McCarthy, MD, Edwin McGee, MD, and S. Chris Malaisrie, MD, have championed all of the current surgical techniques used to repair or replace the aortic valve. Patients of the Center for Heart Valve Disease are assured the availability of the most advanced techniques and valve replacement products in use today. The surgeons of the Center also offer aortic valve surgery using a minimally invasive approach with more cosmetically appealing incisions to appropriate candidates. Finally, the Center is participating in several clinical research trials of newly developed aortic valve products that are under active investigation. Eligible patients are offered enrollment in these trials when applicable.
Learn more about heart valve replacement selection.
Contact
For
more information regarding aortic valve disease and the treatments
available through the Center for Heart Valve Disease call the Bluhm
Cardiovascular Institute (866) 662-8467.
