A leaky heart valve is a common heart valve disease in which one of the four heart valves doesn’t close properly. This condition can cause blood to flow in the wrong direction after the valve closes. This condition can worsen if a large amount of blood leaks backward, requiring treatment as per its severity. Now, the question arises, “How to fix a leaky heart valve without surgery?” Let us find the answer to it.
Functions of Heart Valves
Before knowing the functions of heart valves, it is important to know what they are. Heart valves are responsible for managing blood flow through the heart. These valves work one way, helping the blood flow in the right direction and preventing it from flowing backward.
People with congenital heart problems are born with damage in their valve anatomy, and in some cases, this condition develops later in life. A leaky valve is the result of such conditions or any other heart disease.
Leaky Heart Valve
As stated earlier, in a leaky valve, one of the four valves remains improperly closed, leading to the backward flow of blood. Although this condition can be life-threatening, treatment is determined by its severity. Leakage of a small amount of blood may cause no problem to the heart’s functioning. Moderate leakage may cause symptoms, and severe leakage needs effective treatment to prevent heart damage.
Types
In order to identify how to fix a leaky valve without surgery, it is crucial to know its types and all applicable treatment modes for this issue. Leaky valves can be of various types; here are some of these-
i) Aortic Valve Regurgitation: The aortic valve sends blood from the left ventricle to the aorta. A leak to this valve causes backward flow of blood to the ventricle.
ii) Pulmonary Valve Regurgitation: The pulmonary valve is responsible for sending blood from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery. Any leakage in this valve makes the blood flow back to the right ventricle.
iii) Mitral Valve Regurgitation: The Mitral valve sends blood to the left ventricle from the left atrium. So, in this valve leakage, some blood moves to the left atrium instead of the left ventricle.
iv) Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation: In this heart valve leak, blood flowing through the tricuspid valve from the right atrium to the right ventricle goes backward to the right atrium.
Causes of Leaky Heart Valve
A leaky heart valve can have various causes, which include-
- Cardiomyopathy
- Congenital heart disease
- Breaking down of valve tissue as a result of aging
- Endocarditis
- Heart tumors
- Thoracic aortic aneurysm
- Heart damage due to heart attack
- Rheumatic heart disease
Symptoms of a Leaky Heart Valve
Symptoms of a leaky heart valve include:
- Coughing
- Chest pain
- Weakness
- Shortness of breath during activities
- Heart palpitations
- Swelling in feet and legs
Fixing Leaky Heart Valve without Surgery
A leaky heart valve can mainly be diagnosed using an echocardiogram test along with a chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, MRI of the heart, specific blood tests, and cardiac catheterization. Now, to answer the question, “How to fix a leaky heart valve without surgery,” let us identify the treatment options.
Depending on the severity of the leakage, heart valve leak can be treated in various ways, among which heart valve surgery is the most common form of treatment for severe cases. However, in less severe cases, there are other ways in which this condition can be treated.
In cases with less severe symptoms, medications are used to manage the complications. On the other hand, many surgeons use the minimally invasive procedure to help treat the condition. The catheter-based method is another nonsurgical method that can fix a leaky heart valve without surgery, solely by replacing the damaged valve.
Catheter-based Procedures
1) Balloon valvuloplasty: It is the process by which doctors treat a narrowed open valve using a catheter. Keeping a balloon at the tip of a catheter, it is placed into an artery in the groin to help it navigate to the damaged valve. The inflated balloon helps in widening the opening of the heart valve, helping the blood flow in the correct direction.
2) TAVR or Transcatheter aortic valve replacement: Through this minimally invasive procedure, the damaged aortic valve is replaced with a new one. A catheter is inserted in this process into a blood vessel and is guided to the heart. After insertion, the replacement valve is positioned in the heart using a balloon.
3) Mitral Clip: This procedure is used to treat mitral valve leaks. In this procedure, a catheter is inserted into the leg and positioned in the heart. This procedure is authorized for use in severe mitral regurgitation.
In fixing a leaky heart valve, non-surgical procedures are applied to patients who are not suitable for undergoing surgeries. Patients with hardened arteries are often suggested to fix a leaky heart valve without surgery. It not only reduces complications associated with surgery but also helps in faster recovery.
