Latest Medical Resources

Archive for the ‘Heart Valve Disease’ Category

What medication is used?

Preventive

Antibiotics (eg penicillin). There is more chance of an abnormal valve becomes infected with bacteria. This can occur, for example, if the bacteria enter the bloodstream during surgical procedures, cardiac catheterization or dental treatment. It is suggested that preventive antibiotic therapy if the patient needs to undergo any other treatment that can introduce bacteria into the blood (for example before the dental extractions).

For treatment of symptoms

Diuretics help the body remove excess salt and fluid through the kidneys.

- Loop diuretics, which have a strong effect.

- Potassium-sparing diuretics, which is taken as an adjunct to loop diuretics.

- Thiazide diuretics used as an additional diuretic if heart failure symptoms are severe. Read the rest of this entry »

How does the doctor diagnosed?

The diagnosis is based on patient history, examination and exploration of the heart with a stethoscope to listen for any abnormal sound or murmur from the heart valves or heart muscle.

If discovered dysfunction is severe, your doctor may refer the patient to hospital for further tests. They are:

Echocardiography

That is, an ultrasound of the heart. Provides an accurate measurement of the degree of regurgitation or stenosis, indicating if the heart’s pumping ability is poor and often can give the exact cause of valve disease. The resolution and accuracy of echocardiography increases by transesophageal echocardiography in the patient. This is introduced into the esophagus through the mouth, a fiberoptic tube. With this technique, performed under sedation, we can obtain clear images of the heart. Read the rest of this entry »

What is the cause of heart valve disease?

The narrowing or stenosis of the valves may be due to:

- Congenital

- Degeneration of atherosclerosis (aortic stenosis only)

- Damage to the valve structure by rheumatic fever

- Excessive calcification in the elderly (aortic stenosis only)

The inadequacies of the valves may be due to:

- Bacterial infection or inflammation of a valve

- Excessive laxity of the valve leaflets (mitral valve prolapse)

- Dilation of the left or right ventricle and/or its output artery (aorta or pulmonary) Read the rest of this entry »

The heart has two halves, right and left, each with two chambers: the atrium and ventricle. Through the atria reaches the blood to the heart and the ventricles through the blood is pumped out of the heart. Heart valves are structures with a perfect performance and synchronized to ensure that blood moves in the right direction only.

There are four heart valves:

- The tricuspid valve: located between the atrium and ventricle

- Mitral valve: located between the left atrium and left ventricle

- Pulmonary valve: located between the right ventricle and outflow tract, pulmonary artery

- The aortic valve: located between the left ventricle and outflow tract, aorta. Read the rest of this entry »