Cardiac Valvular Procedures in Kharghar

There are four cardiac valves: tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral and aortic. These structures let blood flow smoothly through the chambers of the heart, opening and closing as the heart beats. The valves open to let blood into a chamber and close tightly to prevent blood flowing backwards. The familiar sound of a heartbeat is made as the valves close.

Damage from a heart attack, from infection, or simply from the ageing process may cause the valves to stop functioning properly. A scarred or thickened valve, called stenosis, may not open fully. That increases the workload on the heart as it tries to push blood through a tight, restrictive valve.

A different problem occurs when the valve does not close completely and blood is allowed to flow backwards. This is called insufficiency, or regurgitation. Either way, the heart ends up doing more work than it should for every beat.

Operations to repair or replace poorly functioning heart valves are common procedures. Where a valve is replaced, the decision between a tissue valve and a mechanical valve depends on your age, your other conditions and whether long term anticoagulation suits your circumstances.