Valve disease and endocarditis Flashcards
What are the 2 left heart valves called?
- Aortic, Mitral
What are the 2 right heart valves called?
- Pulmonary, Tricuspid
Which side of heart valves most commonly fail?
- Left side valves:
- Aortic stenosis & incompetence
- Mitral stenosis and incompetence
What is used to treat valve failure problems?
- Prosthetic valves
What is Valve stenosis?
- Stenosis is a term for a valve that doesn’t open properly. The flaps of the valve thicken, stiffen or fuse together. As a result the valve cannot fully open
Who are heart valve failures commonly affected by? (2 points)
- Elderly
- Downs
What are the common symptoms of heart valve failure?
- Rarely any symptoms - undiagnosed
What is an example of a congenital abnormality of a heart valve?
- Bicuspid Aortic Valve
- (normal is a tricuspid aortic valve)
What are possible causes of heart disease? (4 points)
- Congenital abnormality
- Myocardial infarction (papillary muscle rupture)
- Rheumatic fever (immunological reaction to streptococci)
- Dilatation of the aortic root (syphilis, aneurysm formation)
Is taking an ultrasound of the heart a good investigation into valve disease?
- Yes
What are the 2 main oprti9ons for valve replacement?
- Mechanical valve
- Porcine (pig) valve
What is a benefit of being given a pig valve?
- Pic valve is roughly the same size and has a natural collagen reflex so blood will not stick to them anymore than it would in a pig
What is a disadvantage of a pig valve?
- It will only last about 10 years
- So good for the young and the old - choosing not to put a metal valve in can be good for people at extremes of life
- Every time you replace a valve there is a chance of the patient dying so want to do it as little as possible
What is a disadvantage of giving a mechanical valve?
- As it is metal blood will stick to it and clot so the patient ha s to be on anticoagulants
What is there a risk of in patients who have had a valve replacement?
Risk of endocarditis - infection of the heart muscles layer which can happen with bacteria such as streptococci which can be found in the mouth
There is a risk of endocarditis following a valve replacement. How can you minimise the risk? (4 points)
- Maximise oral health
- Be sensitive to patient and surgeon needs
- Be aware or international disagreement in this area
- Sometimes antibiotics are given - case by case