HEART VALVE

DEFINITION
A heart valve is a one-way valve that allows blood to flow in one direction through the
chambers of the heart.

Four valves are usually present in a mammalian heart and together they determine the pathway
of blood flow through the heart. A heart valve opens or closes according to differential blood
pressure on each side.

THE 4 HEART VALVES

• Tricuspid valve: located between the right atrium
and the right ventricle
• Pulmonary valve: located between the right ventricle
and the pulmonary artery
• Mitral valve: located between the left atrium and the
left ventricle
• Aortic valve: located between the left ventricle and
the aorta

FUNCTION
The valves keep blood flowing in the correct direction through the heart, they prevent the
backward flow of blood.

These valves are actual flaps that are located on each end of the two ventricles (lower
chambers of the heart). They act as one-way inlets of blood on one side of a ventricle and one-
way outlets of blood on the other side of a ventricle.

HOW THEY WORK

As the heart muscle contracts and relaxes, the valves open and shut, letting blood flow into the
ventricles and atria at alternate times. The following steps show how the blood flows through
the heart and describes how each valve works to keep blood moving.

1. Open tricuspid and mitral valves

Blood flows from the right atrium into the right
ventricle through the open tricuspid valve, and
from the left atrium into the left ventricle through
the open mitral valve.

2. Closed tricuspid and mitral valves

When right ventricle is full, the tricuspid valve
closes and keeps blood from flowing backward
into the right atrium when the ventricle contracts.
When the left ventricle is full, the mitral valve
closes and keeps blood from flowing backward
into the left atrium when the ventricle contracts.
 3. Open pulmonic and aortic valve
As the right ventricle begins to contract, the
pulmonic valve is forced open. Blood is pumped out
of the right ventricle through the pulmonic valve
into the pulmonary artery to the lungs.
As the left ventricle begins to contract, the aortic
valve is forced open. Blood is pumped out of the left
ventricle through the aortic valve into the aorta.
The aorta branches into many arteries and provides
blood to the body.

4. Closed pulmonic and aortic valves

When the right ventricle finishes contracting and starts to relax, the pulmonic valve snaps shut.
This keeps blood from flowing back into the right ventricle.
When the left ventricle finishes contracting and begins to relax, the aortic valve snaps shut.
This keeps blood from flowing back into the left ventricle.

DISEASES
Valvular Stenosis
This occurs when a heart valve doesn't fully open due to stiff or fused
leaflets. The narrowed opening may make the heart work very hard to
pump blood through it. This can lead to heart failure and other
symptoms (see below). All four valves can develop stenosis.

Valvular Insufficiency
Also called regurgitation, incompetence, or "leaky valve", this occurs
when a valve does not close tightly. If the valves do not seal, some blood
will leak backward across the valve. As the leak worsens, the heart has
to work harder to make up for the leaky valve, and less blood may flow
to the rest of the body.

Heart valve diseases can be prevented by doing a variety of physical activities, eating healthy,
and making heart-healthy lifestyle changes, and medications aimed at preventing heart
attacks, high blood pressure, or heart failure.
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