Valve Basics & Anatomy
This four-chambered muscle pumps blood through your body using internal flaps called valves.
What is the Heart?
Because a narrowed valve limits blood flow, patients frequently experience this issue while walking or climbing stairs.
What is Shortness of Breath?
Doctors listen directly to the clicking and swooshing sounds of heart valves using this chest device.
What is a Stethoscope?
Before undergoing surgery, patients are often prescribed these daily drugs to help manage valve symptoms.
What are Medications?
Keeping this numerical reading within a safe range prevents extra force and damage to your heart valves over time.
What is Blood Pressure?
The main job of a heart valve flap is to swing shut so blood cannot leak in this direction.
What is Backward?
When a failing valve causes fluid to back up in the body, it commonly accumulates and causes swelling in these lower limbs.
What are the Legs?
This diagnostic test uses sound waves to generate a moving image of the heart valves on a monitor.
What is an Echocardiogram (or Ultrasound)?
Instead of taking out a damaged valve, surgeons can resize or mend its leaflets during a procedure called a valve ____.
What is Repair?
Regular aerobic activities like swimming, walking, or cycling keep this specific muscular organ strong.
What is the Heart?
Located on the left side of the heart, the aortic valve opens to let oxygen-rich blood exit into this primary, large artery.
What is the Aorta?
Turbulent blood rushing through a tight or leaky valve creates an unusual extra sound called a heart ____.
What is a Murmur?
This type of medical doctor specializes in diagnosing, monitoring, and prescribing medications for heart conditions.
What is a Cardiologist?
Artificial mechanical replacement valves are built out of carbon, titanium, or this hard manufactured material.
What is Plastic?
Toxins inhaled from this habit cause blood vessels to harden and increase the strain placed on heart valves.
What is Smoking?
When a valve leaflet gets stretched out or fails to close completely, doctors call the resulting leak valve ____.
What is Regurgitation?
Reduced oxygen delivery to the brain due to valve disease can lead to lightheadedness or this sudden loss of consciousness.
What is Fainting?
Sensors placed on the skin during an EKG test measure this specific type of electrical activity driving the heart muscle.
What is the Heartbeat?
Biological replacement valves are made from natural tissue taken from a cow or this farm animal.
What is a Pig?
Reducing your intake of this dietary mineral helps control fluid retention and keeps blood pressure low.
What is Salt?
This medical term describes a heart valve opening that becomes stiff, narrowed, and unable to open fully.
What is Stenosis?
Severe aortic valve narrowing often causes this type of pain or tightness directly over the heart during exertion.
What is Chest Pain?
To test how well heart valves perform during exertion, patients are monitored while walking on this exercise equipment.
What is a Treadmill?
Patients with mechanical valves must take daily blood-thinning pills to prevent these dangerous obstructions from forming on the valve.
What are Blood Clots?
Promptly treating a strep throat infection with antibiotics prevents this inflammatory disease that damages heart valves.
What is Rheumatic Fever?