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How the heart valves work

Human heart valves are remarkable structures. These tissue-paper thin membranes attached to the heart wall constantly open and close to regulate blood flow (causing the sound of a heartbeat). This flexing of the tissue occurs day after day, year after year. In fact, the tissue withstands about 80 million beats a year, or 5 to 6 billion beats in an average lifetime. Each beat is an amazing display of strength and flexibility.

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Articles of Interest

Comparative Anatomy Tutorial - Valves

The hearts of large mammals have four cardiac valves with similar structures and locations. Left and right atrioventricular valves sit between the atria and ventricle on both sides of the heart while two semilunar valves separate the right and left ventricles from the pulmonary artery and aorta respectively. While the structures of each valve are largely similar, variations in the valves exist that distinguish the valves of different species.

Heart valves galore, to Tin Man's delight

Manuel "Manny" Villafaña, an entrepreneur, inventor, and donor to the museum, collects artificial heart valves. In 2015 Villafaña donated over 50 artificial heart valves to the Division of Medicine and Science.

The Heart's Valves

The heart valves are equipped with flaps, called leaflets, that open and close to keep the blood from flowing backward into the chamber it came from. Healthy blood flow is vital because it carries a constant resupply of oxygen throughout your body. When the heart valves are damaged or working improperly, your heart and other organs at risk.

Engineering the Heart: Heart Valves

Our heart valves allow blood to flow through them in one direction only. The four valves are the aortic valve, the mitral valve, the pulmonary valve and the tricuspid valve. Every time the muscles in the heart contract to pump blood, certain valves open and others close to make sure the blood is only pumped in the correct direction. All of the valves have leaflets or flaps that are the moving pieces of the valve. When a valve opens, its leaflets separate to allow blood flow, and when the valve closes, its leaflets come together to block the blood flow.

Genetic trigger discovered for common heart problem, mitral valve prolapse

While mitral valve prolapse is common, doctors have not known its causes. It wasn’t until today that I and my colleagues reported a genetic and biological trigger for the disease. Tackling this complex clinical problem required an international team of geneticists, cardiologists, echo-cardiographers and surgeons all collaborating to identify genetic and molecular causes for mitral valve prolapse in a multigenerational family of 43 members, 11 of whom suffered from this disorder. Our team also used data from more than 1,400 unrelated patients with mitral valve prolapse.

Heart Valves and How They Work

The heart has four heart valves – the aortic, mitral, pulmonary and tricuspid valves. All four valves open and close to help move blood from one area to another. Two of the valves, the mitral and the tricuspid valves, move blood from the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) to the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles). The other two valves, the aortic and pulmonary valves, move blood to the lungs and the rest of the body through the ventricles. When the heart valves open and close, they create sounds we know as our heartbeat.

Heart-Valve Problem May Have a New Cure

The MitraClip, implanted with a thin, tubelike catheter inserted through a vein in the groin, repairs the valve by fastening together its loose flaps to prevent leakage. It was approved for patients with a serious, degenerative mitral regurgitation who are considered too risky for surgery. Abbott estimates that 20,000 to 30,000 people in the U.S. are currently eligible for the MitraClip procedure. About 20% of all patients with mitral regurgitation have the degenerative form of the disease, which is often caused by a birth defect that gets worse over time.

How Important Are Heart Valves?

There are valves between the atria and ventricles that make sure blood flows in one direction through your heart. Valves are also located at the “exits” or “doorways” of the heart for this same reason—to make sure blood flows in one direction. The valves located at these points are called the pulmonary and aortic valves. These are one-way valves that prevent blood from flowing through the heart in the reverse direction when the heart is at rest.

Italian surgeons discover 'world's oldest heart valve' in woman

Prosthesis was implanted by the pioneering doctor Christiaan Barnard 50 years ago.

New Treatment Could Help Fix the Heart’s ‘Forgotten Valve’

Patients with leaking tricuspid valves in a research trial saw improvements with a procedure that does not require a risky open-heart surgery.

Roles of Your Four Heart Valves

What role does each play in healthy circulation?

The Valves of the Heart

The valves of the heart are structures which ensure blood flows in only one direction. They are composed of connective tissue and endocardium (the inner layer of the heart). There are four valves of the heart, which are divided into two categories...

Resources

YourHeartValve

A patient information resource from Edwards Lifesciences, the leader in heart valve therapy.

HeartValveChoice

Heart valve disease affects about 2.5% of the U.S. population.1 Most of these people live long and active lives and never need surgery but when the heart can no longer pump enough blood throughout the body, a heart valve may need replacement.2

KenHub

This is a preview to our video tutorial which discusses the anatomy of the valves of the heart, which include the tricuspid valve, mitral valve, pulmonary valve and aortic valve.