Aortic Stenosis Research Paper Outline

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Aortic Stenosis |Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve in the heart. This restricts the flow of blood through | |the valve. The left ventricle then needs to contract harder to pump blood into the aorta. Mild narrowing | |may not cause any symptoms. More severe narrowing can cause various symptoms and may lead to heart | |failure. Surgery to stretch or replace the valve may be needed. | Understanding the heart The heart has four chambers - two atria and two ventricles. The walls of these chambers are mainly made of special heart muscle. During each heartbeat both of the atria contract first to pump blood into the ventricles. Then both ventricles contract to pump blood out…show more content…
This occurs because of the increased need for oxygen by the thickened ventricle and because of reduced blood flow to the coronary arteries. o irregular heartbeat which you may feel as palpitations. • If the narrowing is severe the left ventricle may not function properly and you can develop heart failure. This causes shortness of breath, tiredness, and fluid retention in various tissues of the body. See separate leaflet called 'Heart Failure'. What are the possible complications of aortic stenosis? • Heart failure may become severe and life threatening. • Endocarditis is an uncommon complication. This is an infection of the valve. Abnormal valves are more prone to infection than normal valves. Unless promptly treated, endocarditis can cause serious illness. See separate leaflet called 'Infective Endocarditis'. How is aortic stenosis diagnosed? • A doctor may hear a heart murmur or other abnormal noises when listening with a stethoscope. Murmurs and noises are due to blood passing through abnormal valves, or to abnormal movement of valves. Aortic stenosis causes typical murmurs and noises. • Chest X-ray may show some calcification around the aortic valve. • An electrocardiogram (ECG) can show that the left ventricle is

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