Heart Valve Disease (cont.)
How Is Heart Valve Disease Treated?
Treatment for heart valve disease depends on the type and severity of valve disease. There are three goals of treatment for heart valve disease: protecting your valve from further damage; lessening symptoms; and repairing or replacing valves.
Protecting your valve from further damage.
If you have valve disease, you are at risk for developing endocarditis, a serious condition. People who have mitral valve prolapse without thickening or regurgitation/leaking are not at risk of developing endocarditis.
You are still at risk for endocarditis, even if your valve is repaired or replaced through surgery. To protect yourself:
- Tell your doctors and dentist you have valve disease. You may want to carry an identification card with this information. The American Heart Association website (www.americanheart.org) has a bacterial endocarditis wallet card that you may download; or call your local American Heart Association office or the national office at 1-800-AHA-USA1.
- Call your doctor if you have symptoms of an infection (sore throat, general body aches,
fever).
- Take good care of your teeth and gums to prevent infections. See your dentist for regular visits.
- Take antibiotics before you undergo any procedure that may cause bleeding, such as any dental work (even a basic teeth cleaning), invasive tests (any test that may involve blood or bleeding), and most major or minor surgery. Your doctor can provide you with a card that provides specific antibiotic guidelines.
Medications. You may be prescribed medications to treat your symptoms and to lessen the chance of further valve damage. Some medications may be stopped after you have had valve surgery to correct your problem. Other medications may need to be taken all your life. Medications may include:
| Common Types of Medications |
What They Do |
| Diuretics ("water pills") |
Remove extra fluid from the tissues and bloodstream;
lessen the symptoms of heart failure |
| Antiarrhythmic medications |
Control the heart's rhythm |
| Vasodilators |
Lessen the heart's work. Also encourages blood to flow
in a forward direction, rather than backwards through a leaky valve. |
| ACE inhibitors |
A type of vasodilator used to treat high blood pressure
and heart failure |
| Beta blockers |
Treat high blood pressure and lessen the heart's work by
helping the heart beat slower and less forcefully. Used to decrease
palpitations in some patients. |
| Anticoagulants ("blood thinners") |
Prolong the clotting time of your blood, if you are at
risk for developing blood clots on your heart valve. |
Follow your doctor's orders when taking medications. Know the names of your
medications, what they are for, and how often to take them.
Surgery and Other Procedures. The diagnostic tests your heart doctor orders help to identify the location, type, and extent of your valve disease. The results of these tests, the structure of your heart, your age, and your lifestyle will help your cardiologist (heart doctor), surgeon, and you decide what type of procedure will be best for you.
Surgical options include heart valve repair or replacement. Valves can be repaired or replaced with traditional heart valve surgery or a minimally invasive heart valve surgical procedure. Heart valves may also be repaired by other procedures such as percutaneous balloon valvotomy.
Next: Living with valve disease »
- ACE Inhibitors - Read about ACE inhibitors like Altace, lisinopril, enalapril, ramparil, Zestril and more. Information includes side effects, drug interactions, and pregnancy safety information.
- Chest X-ray - A chest x-ray is a radiology test that involves exposing the chest briefly to radiation to produce an image of the chest and the internal organs of the chest. chest x-ray can be used to define abnormalities of the lungs such as excessive fluid, pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, cysts, and cancers.
- Congestive Heart Failure - Read about congestive heart failure symptoms like fatigue, abdomen, leg and ankle swelling, shortness of breath, sleeplessness, increased urination, nausea, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite.
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