Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation Research Paper

Atrioventricular Canal Defect is an abnormality that causes the mixing of blood. There is a hole in center of heart where the wall between the upper and lower chambers meet. The tricuspid and mitral valves aren’t formed properly and one large valve crosses the defect. The defect lets oxygen rich blood pass to the heart’s right side and mix with deoxygenated blood, then go back to the lungs. Another abnormality is Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), where the walls of the upper chambers of the heart don’t close completely, causing a left to right movement of blood due to the higher pressure. The mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood may cause the right atrium and ventricle to enlarge due to the higher volume of blood.

Heart failure can be attributed to either right sided, left or both. Left-sided heart failure is of two types, systolic failure and diastolic failure. Systolic failure is the when the left ventricle loses its ability to contract normally. The heart cannot pump with enough force to push enough blood into circulation. Diastolic failure is when the left ventricle loses its ability to relax normally. Which results in the heart not being able to fill with blood during the resting period. Both result in a decrease in cardiac output. (AHA, 2012). A decrease in the cardiac output into the systemic circulation causes blood to accumulate in the left ventricle, left atrium, and pulmonary circulation. This increase

After a period of time, the heart muscles of the left ventricle begin to weaken. The weakening of the left ventricle will lead to decreased empting of the heart (systolic heart failure) which results in decreased cardiac output again. Since the left ventricle does not empty completely, blood begins to back up into the left atrium and then to the pulmonary circulation thus resulting in pulmonary congestion and dyspnea (Story 2012, 104). If left untreated, the blood will back up and affect the right side of the heart causing biventricular heart failure (both right and left heart failure). In right sided heart failure, the right ventricle weakens and cannot empty completely. This incomplete emptying causes blood to back up into the systemic circulation causing systemic edema (Lewis et al. 2014, 771).

The four valves of the heart are the tricuspid valve, the pulmonic valve, the mitral valve, and the aortic valve. The tricuspid valve is located between the right atrium and the right ventricle. It is responsible for allowing blood to flow from the atrium to the ventricle, preventing backflow of blood into the atrium. The pulmonic valve is located between the pulmonary arteries and the right ventricle and is responsible for allowing blood flow from the heart to the lungs. The mitral valve is found between the left atrium and the left ventricle, which allow blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle preventing backflow of blood back into the left atrium. The aortic valve is found between the aorta and the left ventricle and allows blood to flow to the aorta and throughout the body.

The flow of blood through the heart is controlled by four valves. If any are not working correctly, blood cannot flow or be pumped effectively to the heart. The four valves are: the tricuspid, pulmonary semilunar, mitral, and aortic semilunar. There are many abnormalities or defects that can affect their operation and in this paper, I will discuss the most common one which is a “mitral valve prolapse.” A valvular prolapse is an abnormal protrusion of a heart valve that causes the valve to not close completely. It is also known as “click murmur syndrome” and “Barlow’s syndrome” and is more prevalent in women than men. It has a strong hereditary

In a normal human being the heart correctly functions by the blood first entering through the right atrium from the superior and inferior vena cava. This blood flow continues through the right atrioventricular valve into the right ventricle. The right ventricle contracts forcing the pulmonary valve to open leading blood flow through the pulmonary valve and into the pulmonary trunk. Blood is then distributed from the right and left pulmonary arteries to the lungs, where carbon dioxide is unloaded and oxygen is loaded into the blood. The blood is returned from the lungs to the left

to the right and left lung. After entering the lungs, the branches subdivide, finally emerging as

When the left atrium is filled with blood, the heart contracts and the blood passes through the bicuspid valve and into the left ventricle.

Disease, endocarditis or a congenital defect can result in heart valve problems. When the valves don't open or close properly during each heartbeat, the heart muscle has to pump harder to keep blood moving.

Similarly to how a problematic mitral valve can lead to left-sided heart failure, a faulty tricuspid valve may also do the same to the right side. Left-sided heart failure as a general rule of thumb inevitably leads to right-sided heart failure. Other causes of right ventricular failure include right ventricle infarction, massive pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD for short.

The increased resistance of blood flow through the pulmonary semilunar valve from the right ventricle backs up the pressure of blood

The mitral valve is located on the left side of the heart between the left atrium and left ventricle. The purpose of the mitral valve is to form a seal between these two chambers of the heart to prevent the back flow of blood. When blood enters the left side of the heart, it is oxygenated and enters through the pulmonary veins. The blood then travels through the left atrium; the bicuspid (mitral) valve then opens to let the blood flow down to the left ventricle. The left ventricle contracts, causing the mitral valve to close (preventing the backflow of blood).When the left ventricle contracts it is pumping the blood out to the remainder of the body. (Jenkins, 2007)

Although Mitral Valve Prolapse has existed for many years, there are a few facts a person should know while being diagnosed with this disease. Mitral Valve Prolapse is the most common valve abnormality in the U.S (Gillinov 517). About two to three percent of the population has Mitral Valve Prolapse (Gillinov 517). Of that percentage, very few need surgery due to a severe leak (Gillinov 326). If surgical treatment is necessary, a person receiving a non-surgical valve can most likely receive a 20 percent greater chance to live at least 1 year after treatment, compared to patients receiving medication alone (Gillinov 517). This means many people who were born or diagnosed with a valve problem can most likely be diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse over any other heart valve disease. When a father or a mother has Mitral Valve Prolapse, this creates a very high chance when they have a child, the child will be born having

Congestive Heart Failure is a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the needs of the rest of the body (Department of Health & Human Services, 2012). The failure can occur in on either side of the heart. In left-side heart failure, fluid backs up into the lungs, causing shortness of breath, due to the fact that the blood entering the left side of the heart comes from the pulmonary artery, and when the left ventricle cannot pump fluid out of the heart or when the left atrium cannot empty completely into the ventricle it backs up into the lungs. In right-side heart failure, fluid can back up into the abdomen, legs, and feet, causing swelling. The blood being pumped into the right

The tricuspid is found in the right side of the heart. It rests between the atrium and the ventricle. The function of this valve is to make sure that blood flows in the correct direction, forward, from the atrium to the ventricle. This is important to make sure that blood doesn't move backwards through the heart. When blood flows backwards through the heart it is referred to as regression or tricuspid regurgitation.