Heart Valve Disorders

The heart has four chambers. As blood is pumped through these chambers, it passes through four heart valves—tricuspid, pulmonic, mitral, and the aortic valve—which open and close to allow blood to flow in only one direction.

The valves control the direction of blood flow through the heart. The opening and closing of the heart valves produce the sound of the heartbeat.

When a heart valve is damaged, it does not work as it should. A damaged valve may narrow and limit blood flow (medical term is “stenosis”) or it may widen and allow blood flow in the wrong direction (medical term is "insufficiency").

There are many reasons heart valves become damaged, including birth defects, infection, other diseases, or as a natural part of the aging process. Depending on the patient and their condition, there are several surgical options for valve diseases.