Valvular Conditions
If I can stop one heart from breaking I shall not live in vain - Emily Dickinson
image by: Duncan McElroy
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Narrowing the gap on heart valve disease deaths within our reach
“There’s no such thing as being too Southern.”
It’s a Lewis Grizzard quote that truly encompasses him. Born and raised in Georgia, Lewis was a beloved columnist and humorist with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. My wife went to high school with Lewis and millions of readers across the country knew him through his columns. His humor, self-deprecating observations about life and unapologetic reflections on old fashioned values made him a Southern icon.
In 1982, Lewis published a book titled “They Tore Out My Heart and Stomped that Sucker Flat.” Along with love and loss, he also talked openly about his congenital heart defect and preparing for surgery. When doctors told…
Resources
Computer-designed customized regenerative heart valves
While this field of research is promising and the first clinical uses of heart valves and blood vessels cultured using tissue engineering have already been made, there are still a few hurdles to get over before the technology can be routinely used. "One of the biggest challenges for complex implants such as heart valves is that each patient's potential for regeneration is different.
Where a Sore Throat Becomes a Death Sentence
But in poor countries, strep throat often goes undiagnosed and can become a long, slow death sentence. Without treatment, it can lead to rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, in which the immune system attacks the heart valves — intricate flaps of tissue that must open and shut properly 100,000 times a day for the heart to work normally. As the valves deteriorate, the heart struggles and gradually wears out. Patients become weak, short of breath and unable to attend school or work. Many die before they reach 30. Women with the illness who become pregnant can suffer severe and sometimes fatal complications.
Building a Better Valve
A new approach to replacing narrowed heart valves allows older and sicker patients to survive treatment.
Less-Invasive Treatment Yielded Similar Outcome as Open-Heart Surgery, Study Finds
A minimally invasive procedure to repair diseased heart valves delivered about the same health outcomes for patients as open-heart surgery, a result doctors say could widen use of the new procedure.
10 Ways to Keep Your Heart Valves Healthy
You know you need to show your ticker some TLC. Along with heart rate, blood pressure, and maintaining healthy arteries, you should also think about what you can do for your heart valves.
A Revolution for Heart Valve Jobs
Most cars need a valve job after 80,000 miles. Pick a good repair shop and they’ll do it in two days for under $1,000. You’ll get more power and better gas mileage. Valve jobs in human hearts also boost performance — but open-heart surgery is risky and costs 50-100 times more than repairing the Chevy. All that is changing fast.
Clinical review: Valvular heart disease
The four most common disorders of valvular heart disease - aortic stenosis and regurgitation, and mitral stenosis and regurgitation - and strategies for their management.
Clot Risk Is Seen in Some Heart Valves
The Food and Drug Administration and leading cardiologists are warning that aortic heart valves from animal tissue—implanted surgically in thousands of patients world-wide—can develop tiny blood clots, causing the valves to function improperly.
New Frontiers in Valvular Heart Disease
During the past 15 years, transcatheter aortic valve replacement ushered in a new era of less invasive treatment for aortic stenosis. Now, the field of transcatheter interventions for mitral and tricuspid valve disease appears poised to undergo a similar revolution. Currently, a multitude of devices designed to treat mitral or tricuspid valve regurgitation are in development. Although the initial data are promising, physicians and researchers have a long road ahead...
New Heart Valves Prove We're Living In The Future
Put down that new Apple iPad for a second to consider another technological leap. Soon some damaged heart valves will be repaired without cracking patients' chests and cutting into their hearts.
Tiny Device Is a ‘Huge Advance’ for Treatment of Severe Heart Failure
A clip used to repair damaged heart valves sharply reduced deaths among patients with a grim prognosis.
Valvular heart disease: 2017 updated guideline from the AHA/ACC
The updated guideline, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and in Circulation, includes recent advances in diagnostic imaging and improvements in catheter-based and surgical interventions.
Why Arnold Schwarzenegger May Have Had To Get Open Heart Surgery
Nowadays, many heart valve procedures can be done without opening up the chest, using catheters instead. However, when the minimally invasive route is not feasible or successful or complications arise, surgeons have to then "crack the chest" open so that they have better access to the valve and the surrounding structures.
No Bad Rides: A Tiny Heart Valve Gave This Empty Nester a New Lease on Life
How Billy Ray got out of bed and back on his bike.
Narrowing the gap on heart valve disease deaths within our reach
We often talk about how preventive care and recognizing symptoms of serious conditions saves lives. In the case of heart valve disease, the numbers don’t lie. A 97 percent survival rate following heart valve repair or replacement surgery is amazing, but far too many people still die because their heart valve disease went unrecognized and untreated.
Council on Valvular Heart Disease
The Council is a multidisciplinary forum for the Heart Valve Team. We encourage research, knowledge exchange, teaching and other educational activities related to Valvular Heart Disease.
Heart Valve Choice
A complete understanding of heart valve replacement requires years of study and practice. Therefore, discussion of these topics with your physicians will provide the foundation for therapeutic decisions you or a loved one will soon make.
HeartValveSurgery.com
Welcome to the #1 doctor recommended website for patients created by Adam Pick, a heart valve patient. Get prepared, learn what to expect, avoid stress, and enhance recovery using resources designed for you.
ValveReplacement.org
A heart valve replacement community.
YourHeartValve.com
The heart valve patient's comprehensive resource for information from Edwards LifeSciences.
British Heart Foundation
If one or more of your heart valves becomes damaged or diseased, it can affect the flow of blood through your heart.
Cleveland Clinic
Valvular heart disease occurs when your heart's valves do not work correctly. Valvular heart disease can be caused by valvular stenosis or valvular insufficiency.
HeartPoint
Most cases of valvular heart disease can be detected with a stethoscope. The abnormal blood flow often produces a sound called a heart "murmur". Not all murmurs are abnormal, nor do they necessarily indicate heart disease, but the trained ear can often tell a lot about valvular problems just with this simple device.
MedicineNet
Valve disease can develop before birth (congenital) or can be acquired sometime during one's lifetime. Sometimes the cause of valve disease is unknown.
MedlinePlus
Valve problems can be present at birth or caused by infections, heart attacks, or heart disease or damage. The main sign of heart valve disease is an unusual heartbeat sound called a heart murmur.
Patient
If the narrowing or leakiness is mild, and you have no symptoms, then you usually do not need any regular treatment. If you develop symptoms or complications, various medicines may be advised to ease the symptoms. Surgery to stretch, repair or replace the valve may be needed in some cases. Surgical treatment has greatly improved the outlook for many cases of severe valve disease.
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