Why valves are important

When the left ventricle contracts, the right ventricle also contracts. This causes the pulmonary valve to open and the tricuspid valve to close. Blood flows out from the right ventricle to the lungs before it is returned to the left atrium as fresh, oxygenated blood. Regurgitation is a leaky valve. This means the valve doesn't fully close and the blood flows backward through the valve.

This results in leakage of blood back into the atria from the ventricles in the case of the mitral and tricuspid valves. Or it leaks back into the ventricles in the case of the aortic and pulmonary valves. This can cause the chambers to be overworked because they have repump the extra blood that was returned.

Over time, this can cause structural and functional changes in the heart chambers. These changes prevent the chambers from pumping blood normally. Stenosis is a narrowed valve. With stenosis, the valve opening is narrowed and the valve doesn't open correctly.

This makes it harder for the heart to pump blood across the narrowed valve. The heart must use more force to pump blood through the stiff stenotic valve or valves. This can also cause structural and functional changes to the different chambers of the heart. These changes prevent the heart from pumping blood normally. This means the valve opening doesn't develop normally during childhood. This prevents blood from passing from an atria to a ventricle, or from a ventricle to the pulmonary artery or aorta.

Blood must find another route. This is usually through a problem present at birth congenital. The upper chambers — called the right atrium and the left atrium — collect blood flowing in from the body and in from the lungs. The lower chambers — called ventricles — collect blood from the atria then forcefully pump it out.

The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs. The left ventricle pumps blood through the aorta and out to the entire body. Why are valves important for circulation and health? Each heart valve has two functions: To open correctly so blood can empty from the chamber To close properly so blood flows forward When the valves and chambers fail to move blood properly, symptoms eventually may develop and require critically important treatment.

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Heart valve problems are one cause of heart failure. Heart Valves, Anatomy and Function. Find a Doctor Find a Doctor. What are heart valves? The four heart valves include the following: 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 How do the heart valves function?

The following is a step-by-step illustration of how the valves function normally in the left ventricle: After the left ventricle contracts, the aortic valve closes and the mitral valve opens, to allow blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle.

As the left atrium contracts, more blood flows into the left ventricle. What is heart valve disease? Heart valves can have one of two malfunctions: regurgitation or leakage of the valve : The valve s does not close completely, causing the blood to flow backward through the valve.