Posts Tagged ‘Valve’
Heart Valve Disease
Written by admin on December 10, 2009 – 6:15 pm -The heart is one of the strongest muscles and arguable it is the most important organ in the human body. It is responsible for getting nutrients and oxygen throughout the body by way of the circulatory system. It is divided into two halves, called the atrium and the ventricle chambers. Between these two chambers are a set of valves that lets the blood flows in only one direction. Sometimes these valves become damaged and the person could suffer from some sort of heart valve disease. If left unchecked, this disease can lead to heart failure and even death.

The signs and symptoms of heart valve disease are very hard to determine since many of them are so mild and can be attributed to a number of different conditions including asthma, heartburn, heart attack, or sometimes even pregnancy. The always have a conversation with your medical professional concerning your thoughts and physical symptoms if you believe that you may have any type of heart related disease. Heart valve disease is a serious condition, and should never be self-diagnosed.

There are a few common symptoms of heart valve disease that you should watch out for. If you experience dizzy spells or faintness brought on by physical activity, shortness of breath, or chest pain while doing physical activity, or a blue color under your finger nails, or if your lips have a bluish tinge to them. These are all symptoms that you should to bring up to your doctors attention as soon as possible.

Often heart valve disease is caused by a malformation of the valves, diseases, bacterial infection, or a general weakness of the valves that separate the two chambers of the heart. These deformities can include narrowed valves, and leaking valves.

Narrowed valves that can lead to valve heart disease can be caused by a number of things. One cause of this condition is congenital abnormality, a condition at birth that if it is sever enough has given you problems your entire life. Another cause, one that can be prevented through diet exercise and perhaps medications is degeneration of the valve through atherosclerosis, or hardening of the blood vessels that sometimes occurs in old age. The heart valve can also be caused by damage from rheumatic fever or extensive calcification. Heart valve disease doesn’t always cause a life and death situation, although it can lead to major complications with the heart.

Common Vitamins and over the counter products can help with Heart Valve Disease such as Copper, EPA, Garlic, Ginkgo, Iron, and Lycopene.

There is strong evidence that trace mineral Copper is vital to the tensile strength of the coronary blood vessels.

Studies of the Greenland Eskimos lack of heart attacks have show that Eico-Sapentaenoic Acid (EPA) lowers blood cholesterol considerably, even more than polyunsaturated fat does. It also triggers a major drop in triglycerides. Salmon Oil is one of the best known sources of natural EPA.

Garlic can counteract the usual result of high fats in the diet and to help reduce high blood pressure.

Ginkgo Plus supplies a comprehensive range of important nutrients needed for the proper functioning of the vascular system and for improving blood circulation to the brain.

Iron is an essential component of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying substance in red blood cells. Iron is vital for the production of blood. It enhances the immune system. Iron also aids in growth and repair of both bone and tissue by helping the body produce collagen.

Lycopene is very powerful in quenching free radicals as is L-gultathione. Ultra Antioxidant allows cells to perform more efficiently with less oxygen, enabling sufficient oxygen to be utilized for the

cells and organs that specifically need it.

If you are at risk from Heart Valve Disease then find a good health care professional prior to starting any type of home treatment.

Always consult your doctor before using this information.

This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.
David Cowley has created numerous articles on heart disease. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to heart disease and how to treat them. Click on Heart Disease
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Heart Valve Replacement Surgery: Now Easy to Afford in India
Written by admin on November 24, 2009 – 11:20 am -

Medical industry in India has reached at acme in providing medical healthcare facilities to the international patients at very affordable cost. Now day’s hospitals for cardiac surgery in India are using modern medical treatment facilities for heart valve replacement surgery at the best hospitals in India at Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad. Hospitals in India are gaining confidence of the international patients in providing better medical facilities at very low cost. The cardiac surgeons in India have a strong record of excellence in heart valve replacement surgery and heart valve repair surgery. Each year, heart surgeons repair or replace more than 1,400 heart valves, making Indian Clinics one of the largest and most experienced medical centers in the world for this surgery.

Heart valve repair and replacement can relieve symptoms and prolong life. The success rate for heart valve surgery is high and increasing. It is a technically demanding operation that requires the surgeon and the surgical team to have a high level of skill. Mayo Clinic has state-of-the-art facilities and a strong commitment to research and education which attracts the leaders in cardiac surgery.


Surgery for Heart Valve Repair or Replacement
Stenosis (valve narrowing) may be corrected by cutting, separating or reconstructing the valve leaflets, or other valve components, to widen the valve opening. Most patients with stenosed valves require valve replacement.

Regurgitation (valve leakage) may be corrected by replacing or shortening the supporting valve structures to allow the valve to close tightly, or by inserting a prosthetic ring to reshape a deformed valve. Valve flaps (leaflets) may also be modified to stop blood from flowing backwards.
Annuloplasty is one type of heart valve surgery.

Annuloplasty describes surgical techniques performed on the valve’s annulus, the ring of tissue that supports the valve leaflets. Purse-string sutures are sewn around the ring to make the opening smaller which helps the leaflets meet again when the valve closes. Sometimes when repairing the annulus, it is necessary to implant an annuloplasty ring where the leaflets meet the fibrous annulus to downsize an abnormally enlarged valve opening so the leaflets can come together properly.

Repair of structural support
Repair of structural support replaces or shortens the cords that support the valves (chordae tendineae and papillary muscles). When the cords and muscles are the right length, the valve leaflet edges meet and eliminate the leak.

Valve repair (Valvuloplasty)

Valvuloplasty is one type of heart valve surgery.

Valve repair may be done when a valve leaflet is floppy and prolapses. The procedure involves surgically separating, cutting out a section, or pleating a valve leaflet.
Valve replacement involves removal of the defective valve and replacing it with an artificial (prosthetic) valve by sewing it to the annulus of the natural valve. Approximately 95 percent of all valve replacements are performed for mitral or aortic valves.

Indian medical tourism offers you a complete package of surgical treatment in India for specialized healthcare sectors. There are ample of heart valve replacement surgery hospitals in India at Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad which provide international medical healthcare facilities to abroad patients. The package shall include: Pre-Operative stay in Specialized Guest Houses, surgical package, which includes domiciliary hospitalization and stay in India, in patient care, post operative medical consultancy with complete healthcare advice. In cases of emergencies / critically ill patients we have state of the art Ambulances well equipped with life saving equipments and paramedical forces. In order to facilitate you Indian medical tourism helps in visa processing, Airport pick and drop and your local travel, they will guide you as per your treatment plan. For more details on heart valve replacement surgery in India visit http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com and enquiry@forerunnershealthcare.com
I am Doctor and international health consultant
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What is Heart Valve Disease?
Written by admin on November 23, 2009 – 7:15 am -The majority of those who suffer from heart valve disease are born with it. It is mostly a congenital condition for people born with a narrow heart valve, leaky valves, valve flaps that are the wrong size or are to stiff. Many people are diagnosed with valvular heart disease when they are born. During their many baby well checks their pediatrician hears the tell-tell murmur that denotes a problem with the heart. For others they may not become aware of their condition until later during their life. There are also people who may never know they have this disease until it is to late when the only symptom is a sudden fatal heart attack.
While there are many people who are born with heart valve disease there are those who get this form of cardiovascular disease from some other disease or condition such as infective endocarditis, rheumatic heart disease, or even a heart attack. Children who are more susceptible to strep throat run a higher risk of rheumatic fever which can cause rheumatic heart disease and damage to the heart valves as they become adults.
Bacterial infections and endocarditis of the heart can also cause valve damage. These infections can be a result of medical procedures such as a surgery or dental work where bacteria are able to enter the body. The hearts valve leaflets are scarred by such an infection which can lead to heart valve regurgitation, which is a backflow of blood back through the valve.
Heart valve disease can be identified and diagnosed with the following tests:
1. Echocardiogram – This test is used routinely to diagnose valvular disease. Thickened valve leaflets, vegetations or growths on valve leaflets, myocardial function, and chamber size can be determined, and pressure gradients across valves and pulmonary artery pressures can be estimated. Either transthoracic or transesophageal echocardiography may be used.
2. Chest X-ray – This can identify cardiac hypertrophy, chamber and great vessel enlargement, and dilation of the pulmonary vasculature. Calcification of the valve leaflets and annular openings may also be visible.
3. Electrocardiography – Can demonstrate atrial and ventricular hypertrophy, conduction defects, and dysrhythmias associated with valvular disease.
4. Cardiac catheterization – Is used to assess contractility and to determine the pressure gradients across the heart valves, in the heart chambers, and in the pulmonary system.
To learn more about heart valve disease please visit the website Heart Disease by clicking here.
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Heart Valve Surgery
Written by admin on November 19, 2009 – 11:12 am -The heart is a wonderful creation, designed to pump blood through the body 24/7/365 and Leap Year 366. Awake or asleep, humans depend on the heart to do its work. No one ever consciously directs that work. The heart operates without conscious decision or effort.

Heart valve disease can hinder that operation, however. Heart valves are strong, thin flaps of tissue that open and close to allow blood to flow properly through the heart. As the heart pumps, the valves stretch back and forth, keeping blood flowing in the right direction. They work hard, moving with each beat of the heart.
Heart Valve Disease

Heart valve disease may cause the valves not to open enough to let blood flow freely. Or the opposite may happen – valves may not close as completely as they should, and blood leaks between chambers when it should not. Heart valve disease causes the heart to work harder. This may lead to heart failure.

Heart valve disease can be present at birth, and silently can cause problems as the child grows. Heart valve disease might also be caused later in life by infections, heart attacks, heart damage, or other heart disease.

Sometimes, heart valve disease is minor. No treatment is necessary for minor problems. Other times, heart valve disease might require prescription drugs or a medical procedure. Surgery may be recommended to repair or replace the problem valve.
Heart Valve Surgery

Heart valve surgery may be used in one of two ways. The surgeon may repair a valve, or take it out entirely and replace it with an artificial valve.

Mitral valves can usually be repaired and left where they are. Aortic valves usually must be replaced with artificial valves.

Once the cardiologist and patient have reached a decision to proceed with surgery, they will need to consider options as to which kind of artificial valve will be used: biological or mechanical.

1. Biological valves: Biological heart valves are those made from humans or animals. These valves are often made from pig aortic valves. Some have been made from cow tissues.

2. Mechanical valves: Mechanical heart valves are made of metal, plastic, and pyrolytic carbon. They are very strong, and will usually last a lifetime.
Heart Valve Surgery Complications

Heart valve surgery complications can occur. Usually these problems are linked to the type of artificial valve used. Although there is little difference among valve types as far as the patient is concerned, surgeons often prefer one over another because of the way it is sewn into place.

Heart valve surgery complications that you will want to discuss with your cardiologist include, but may not be limited to the following.

1. Blood clots tend to form on all mechanical valves. The risk of these blood clots causing a stroke in the patient is small, but definite. To counteract the blood clot risk, patients are required to take blood thinners for the rest of their lives. Blood thinners are usually safe, but they can increase bleeding within the body. If that bleeding occurs in the brain, it can lead to death.

2. Blood clots sometimes form on biological valves as well, but the risk is greatly reduced. Patients take anticoagulants for only 6 weeks to 3 months. The main problem with these artificial valves is that they eventually wear out and must be replaced. Their expected life is 10 to 15 years, so a young person might have to have several replacements.

3. Anesthesia and the rerouting of your blood through a bypass machine may cause heart valve surgery complications such as arrhythmia, pneumonia, kidney failure, stroke, and death.

4. Blood clots are another complication that may result from heart valve surgery. These usually show up a few days after surgery, causing pain and swelling in the leg or legs affected. If a blood clot is dislodged from the leg, it can travel to the lungs and cause shortness of breath, chest pain, or even death.

5. Other heart valve surgery complications are: bleeding during or after surgery that may require a blood transfusion; infection in the chest incision; and deep infections in the heart or the breastbone.

6. The new valve may malfunction shortly after surgery or much later, requiring emergency surgery. This is rare, but can result in death.

7. Arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeats) may occur after heart valve surgery. These are controlled by medication. They usually stop after a few days or weeks, but some become permanent.
CAUTION: The author is not a medical professional, and offers the information in this article for educational purposes only. Please discuss it with your physician before relying on it in any way.
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