Aortic stenosis is a heart disease characterized by narrowing of the aortic valve, making it difficult to pump blood back to the body, resulting in shortness of breath, chest pain and palpitations.
This disease is mainly caused by aging and its most severe form can lead to sudden death.However, when diagnosed early, it can be treated with medications and, in severe cases, surgery to replace the aortic valve.Find out what recovery is like after heart surgery.
- Aortic stenosis is a heart condition in which the aortic valve is narrower than normal.
- Making it difficult to pump blood from the heart to the body.
- This disease is mainly caused by aging and its most severe form can lead to sudden death.
- But when diagnosed in time.
- It can be treated by surgery to replace the aortic valve.
Symptoms of aortic stenosis occur mainly in the severe form of the disease and are usually:
Diagnosis of aortic stenosis is made through a clinical examination with the cardiologist and subsequent scans such as chest x-ray, echocardiogram or cardiac catheterization, which in addition to identifying changes in heart function, also indicate the cause and severity of aortic stenosis.
Treatment of aortic stenosis is done by surgery, in which the defective valve is replaced by a new valve, which can be artificial or natural, when made of pork or bovine tissue.Replacing the valve will cause blood to pump properly from the heart to the rest of the body, and symptoms of fatigue and pain will go away.Without surgery, patients with severe aortic stenosis or symptoms survive on average 2 years.
Treatment of aortic stenosis depends on the stage of the disease; when there are no symptoms and the disease has been discovered by testing, no specific treatment is required; However, after the onset of symptoms, the only form of treatment is surgery to replace the aortic valve, where the faulty valve is replaced by a new valve, normalizing the distribution of blood throughout the body. This surgery is mainly indicated in patients with severe aortic stenosis, as the mortality rate is high. Here are the treatment options:
Treatment of people who do not have symptoms is not always done by surgery, and can be done with the use of medications and lifestyle changes, such as avoiding competitive sports and professional activities that require intense physical exertion.:
Patients who have no symptoms that may be indicated for surgery if they have a very small valve, a gradual reduction in heart function, or an increase in changes in heart structure.
Initially, diuretics such as furosemide can be taken to control symptoms, but the only effective treatment for people with symptoms is surgery, as the medications are no longer sufficient to control the disease. There are two procedures for the treatment of aortic stenosis, depending on the patient’s health status:
Valve replacement with a catheter is usually performed in patients with a more serious disease and a lower ability to overcome open chest surgery.
There are two types of replacement valves in open chest surgery
The choice of valve is made between the doctor and the patient and depends on the age, lifestyle and clinical condition of each.
Risks of aortic valve replacement surgery include:
Risks depend on factors such as age, severity of heart failure, and the presence of other diseases, such as atherosclerosis; In addition, being in a hospital also carries the risk of complications, such as pneumonia and hospital infection.the hospital.
The catheter replacement procedure generally carries fewer risks than conventional surgery, but there is an increased risk of stroke, one of the causes of stroke.
Untreated aortic stenosis can develop with impaired heart function and symptoms of severe fatigue, pain, dizziness, fainting and sudden death.As soon as the first symptoms appear, life expectancy can be as short as 2 years, in some cases it is important to consult the cardiologist to check the need for surgery and its subsequent realization.See what recovery looks like after aortic valve replacement.
The main cause of aortic stenosis is age: over the years, the aortic valve undergoes changes in its structure, which are followed by calcium buildup and malfunction.In general, the onset of symptoms begins after age 65, but the person may feel nothing.and even die without knowing they’ve had aortic stenosis.
In younger people, the most common cause is rheumatic disease, where calcification of the aortic valve also occurs and symptoms begin to appear around age 50.Other rarer causes are congenital abnormalities such as bicuspid aortic valve, disseminated lupus erythematosus, high cholesterol, and rheumatoid disease.Understand what rheumatism is.