Aortic Valve Disease

When an aortic valve (one of four valves in the heart) becomes damaged or impaired, the condition is known as aortic valve disease. The valve may become stiff or may not be opening or closing properly, preventing proper outflow (stenosis), or permitting backflow (insufficiency), or a combination of the two.

Symptoms can include: Angina, shortness of breath, fainting, dizziness, heart murmurs and pulmonary edema.

Surgery

Severe cases of aortic stenosis occur when the opening of the aortic valve becomes narrowed, which can be life threatening. When pressure builds up in the left ventricle, the heart can be injured. To prevent this, surgery is performed to replace the aortic valve, which may not be opening fully. Since the procedure is proven and safe, it is a fairly routine option in treating aortic stenosis.

If blood is leaking through the valve and flows back into the left ventricle, it will lead to eventual heart failure. The heart must work harder and grow larger to handle the additional workload. This is known as aortic regurgitation or insufficiency. To correct this, surgeons will either alter the cusps of the valve so it will close tightly, preventing leakage, or they will replace the valve.

Medical Management

While some medications can control the pain, reduce the stress on the heart or regulate its rhythm, there are no medications that can cure heart valve disease. However, there are some clinical trials in progress that are studying the use of statin drugs to either slow or halt the progress of aortic valve disease.

The following drugs can control some aspects of the disease:

ACE inhibitors: Expand the blood vessels, reduces blood pressure and decreases the heart’s workload.

Anticoagulant medicines: Prevent blood clots.

Beta-blockers: Control the heart rate and reduces blood pressure.

Calcium channel blockers: Can lower blood pressure and reduce the heart’s workload so heart valve surgery can be delayed.

Digitalis: Eases some of the symptoms and reduces the workload placed on the heart.

Diuretics: Removes excess sodium and fluid levels from the body, lowering blood pressure in the process. Diuretics can also reduce the workload on the heart and decrease swelling.