Download Valve disease and you

Valve disease
and you
Valve conditions and your treatment options
If you have been diagnosed with a valve condition, your health
and well-being are in remarkable hands at our Valve Clinic.
As part of Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute, the clinic
ensures you will receive highly specialized valve disorder
treatment with compassionate and personalized care.
This guide will answer many questions that commonly follow
a valve disorder diagnosis, as well as outline the treatment
options available to you at our advanced Valve Clinic.
Your care begins with our Valve Clinic team, which brings
together physicians from a wide range of specialties, including
cardiologists, radiologists, surgeons, electrophysiologists and
primary care physicians. With our clinic, you have access to an
elite team of specialists dedicated to improving your health.
Your specialists will meet to discuss your specific condition,
review treatment options across multiple specialties and then
develop an individualized care plan for you. Your treatment
can include medications, surgical options and therapies to
speed your recovery and improve your quality of life.
You are in very capable hands. Our affiliation with the
Cleveland Clinic – the nation’s number one heart care program
for more than 20 years – means you will have access to
the highest level of heart and valve treatment available.
Heart valves and how they work
What are the symptoms of heart valve disease?
The heart consists of four chambers and four valves.
The valves act as one-way inlets of blood from chamber
to chamber, preventing the backward flow of blood. As
the heart contracts and relaxes, the valves open and shut,
allowing blood to flow into the chambers at alternate
times and always in the same direction.
The following symptoms are the most common in heart
valve disease, however mild valve disease may not cause
any symptoms at all. Each individual may experience
symptoms differently, depending on the type of heart
valve disease they have.
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
What is heart valve disease?
• Palpitations caused by
irregular heartbeats
• Dizziness
Heart valves can malfunction in two ways:
• Regurgitation (leakage of the valve): This condition
prevents the valve from closing completely, causing
the blood to flow backwards.
• Stenosis (narrowing of the valve): This occurs when
the valve opening becomes narrowed, damaged or
scarred (stiff). The result is a limitation of blood flow
out of the heart chambers. The heart is then forced
to pump blood with increased force to move blood
through the narrowed or stiff (stenotic) valve.
Heart valves can have both regurgitation and stenosis at
the same time. In addition, more than one valve can be
affected at the same time. When valves fail to open and
close properly, the implications for your heart can be
serious, possibly hampering the heart’s ability to pump
blood adequately through the body. Heart valve problems
are one cause of heart failure.
The mitral and aortic valves are most affected by
valve disease. Some of the more common heart
valve diseases include:
• Mitral regurgitation
• Bicuspid aortic valve
• Mitral valve prolapse
also known as Barlow’s
syndrome or floppy
valve syndrome)
• Mitral valve stenosis
• Aortic stenosis
• Aortic regurgitation
• Infective endocarditis
• Tricuspid valve
regurgitation
• Low blood pressure
• Fatigue
Symptoms of heart valve disease may resemble other
medical conditions or problems. Always consult your
physician for a diagnosis.
How is heart valve disease diagnosed?
Heart valve disease may be suspected if abnormal heart
sounds are heard through a stethoscope. This is usually the
first step in diagnosing the disease. A characteristic heart
murmur (abnormal sounds in the heart due to turbulent
blood flow across the valve) can often indicate valve
regurgitation or stenosis.
To define the type of valve disease and extent of the
valve damage, physicians may use any of the following
diagnostic procedures:
• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG): A test that records
the electrical activity of the heart, shows abnormal
rhythms (arrhythmias or dysrhythmias) and can
sometimes detect heart muscle damage.
• Echocardiogram (echo): A noninvasive test that uses
sound waves to evaluate the heart’s chambers and valves.
The echo sound waves create an image on a monitor as an
ultrasound is passed over the heart, allowing the physician
to visualize heart valves and diagnose disease.
• Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE): A diagnostic
test that uses a special probe that has a ultrasound device
at its tip. This probe is swallowed into the esophagus and
images of the heart and valves are taken.
• Computed tomography (CT scan): A diagnostic
procedure that uses a computer to produces multiple
images of the inside of the body. This can be combined
with contrast (CT angiography) to provide images of the
blood vessels in the chest, abdomen and legs.
• Cardiac catheterization: This diagnostic procedure
involves the insertion of a tiny, hollow tube (catheter)
into an artery leading to the heart in order to provide
images of the heart and blood vessels. This procedure
is very helpful in determining the type and extent of
certain valve disorders.
What are the treatments for heart valve disease?
In most cases, the recommended treatment for heart valve
disease may be careful medical supervision. However, other
treatment options may include medication, surgery to
repair the valve or surgery to replace the valve. Specific
treatment will be determined by your physician based on a
number of factors, including:
• Your age, overall health and medical history
• Extent of the disease
• The location of the valve
• Your signs and symptoms
• Your opinion or preference
• Your tolerance for specific medications,
procedures or therapies
• Expectations for the course of the disease
Treatment varies depending on the type of valve disease,
and may include one, or a combination of, the following:
Medication
Medications are not a cure for heart valve disease, but in
many cases are successful in treating the symptoms of the
disease. Types of medications include:
• Beta-blockers, digoxin and calcium channel blockers
to reduce symptoms of heart valve disease by controlling
your heart rate and helping to prevent abnormal
heart rhythms.
• Blood pressure medications, such as diuretics
(medications that remove excess water from the body by
increasing urine output) or vasodilators (medications that
relax the blood vessels, decreasing the force against which
the heart must pump) to ease the work of the heart.
Call us to get started and have your
case evaluated at our Valve Clinic:
704-316-8287 in Charlotte or
336-718-8287 in Winston-Salem.
Surgery
Surgery may be necessary to repair or replace the
malfunctioning valve(s). Our surgeons are skilled in
minimally invasive valve surgery and valve repair,
alleviating the need for traditional open heart surgery
in many patients. Surgery may include:
• Heart valve repair: In some cases, surgery on the
malfunctioning valve can help alleviate symptoms.
Examples of heart valve repair surgery include
remodeling abnormal valve tissue so that the valve
functions properly, or inserting prosthetic rings to help
narrow a dilated valve. In many cases, heart valve repair
is preferable because a person’s own tissues are used.
• Heart valve replacement: When heart valves are severely
malformed or destroyed, they may need to be replaced
with an artificial valve. Replacement valve options fall
into two categories: tissue (biologic) valves, which
include animal valves, and mechanical valves.
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), an
innovative procedure for patients suffering from severe
aortic stenosis. We lead the region in this pioneering
technology and offer transfemoral, transapical and
transaortic valve replacements.
Remarkable results
After evaluation by our interdisciplinary team of experts,
should you require surgery, you will have the benefit of
working with a cardiac nurse navigator. The nurse navigator
will be your personal guide for both you and your family
through the entire surgical process – from pre-operative
work to your hospital release.
We’ve made exceptional heart valve treatment convenient
and accessible for you and your loved ones. Our experience,
expertise, highly skilled specialists and state-of-the-art
technologies and procedures provide you with
compassionate, comprehensive treatment options
to enhance your heart health.
Contact us
Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute
Charlotte • 704-316-8287
Winston-Salem • 336-718-8287
NovantHealth.org/heart
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center and Novant Health
Presbyterian Medical Center have affiliated with Cleveland
Clinic Heart & Vascular Institute – the nation’s number one
heart care program. This affiliation combines the unparalleled
research and expertise of Cleveland Clinic’s heart program with
Forsyth Medical Center’s and Presbyterian Medical Center’s
cardiovascular programs to provide the highest quality care
across the Carolinas.
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