What is Mitral Stenosis? Mitral stenosis is the medical term for a tight mitral valve. It is a form of structural heart disease. The mitral valve is the valve that sits between the upper chamber (left atrium) and lower chamber (left ventricle) of the left side of the heart, which is considered the main pumping…
Aortic Stenosis a Tight Aortic Valve – A Comprehensive Patient Guide
What is Aortic Stenosis Aortic stenosis is the medical term used for a tight aortic valve. The aortic valve is the valve through which blood leaves the heart. A tight valve means greater stress on the heart and less blood to the body. The body needs blood to survive and the heart is responsible for…
Paravalvular Leak – A Guide for Patients
What is Paravalvular Leak? Paravalvular leak is a leak around a valve replacement. A form of leaky heart valve. When someone has valve replacement surgery they have a new valve put in place. This valve is usually put in place with no gaps between the edges of the valve or the surrounding natural heart tissue.…
How to do the MitraClip Procedure – A Complete Guide
The MitraClip procedure represents a cutting edge way to fix a leaky mitral valve. For a broad overview of the procedure and the type of patients who need it, see our article The MitraClip – Treatment for a Leaky Heart Valve. The following article is meant for all levels of those wishing to learn about the…
Structural Heart Disease
What Is Structural Heart Disease? Structural heart disease refers to heart disease that is acquired through wear and tear, or heart disease that people are born with. An example of structural heart disease acquired through wear and tear would be a tight or leaky heart valve. An example of structural heart disease people are born…
Mitral Valve Repair Surgery – What You Need To Know
By Mustafa Ahmed MD and David McGiffin MD What is Mitral Valve Repair Surgery? When the mitral valve is severely diseased it can lead to heart failure and associated symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue as well as heart enlargement. The most common diseases are a leaky mitral valve known as mitral regurgitation…
Mitral Valve Prolapse – The Definitive Guide
What is the Mitral Valve? The main pumping chamber of the heart is on the bottom left side of the heart, it is called the left ventricle. Blood flow through the left side of the heart is simple. It goes from the top chamber of the heart called the left atrium, to the bottom chamber…
Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery – Commonly Asked Questions
written by Mustafa Ahmed MD and David Mcgiffin MD Mitral Valve Replacement vs Mitral Valve Repair - When should the mitral valve be repaired and when should the mitral valve be replaced? Decision making in valvular heart disease is complex. Operation may be required for mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis, or both. Mitral regurgitation is a…
The Four Valves of the Heart Explained
What Is a Heart Valve? A valve basically lets something go one way but not the other. In this case, that "something" is blood. So, the valves of the heart allow blood to go forward but not leak backwards. This is important because when the heart pumps, it pushes blood forward to the body where it…
Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation – What You Need To Know
What is Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation? Tricuspid regurgitation is leakiness of the tricuspid valve. The tricuspid valve is valve between the upper and lower chambers of the right side of the heart. Everyone has heard of the valve between the upper and lower chambers of the left side of the heart, the mitral valve. The tricuspid…
