“defective” heart valves, what to do – breaking latest news

We are publishing a preview of part of an article in the new Corriere Salute. You can read the full text on the free issue on newsstands Thursday 9 February or in Pdf on the Digital Edition of Corriere della Sera

The heart valves have a essential role for the proper functioning of the heart: they open to allow the passage of blood from the atria to the ventricles and from the ventricles to the pulmonary or systemic circulation; they close to prevent blood from flowing backwards. If they have structural abnormalities or don’t work well, they can give rise to various diseases that can compromise not only heart health, but also that of the whole organism.

Per avoid dangerous consequences therefore it is very important to diagnose any valvular pathologies and to intervene in a targeted way. In the last 10-15 years the way of treating some of these conditions has radically changed and the way has been paved for increasingly less invasive intervention strategies.

What are the most common valvular pathologies? There are four heart valves: tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral and aortic – explains Francesco Maisano, director of the cardiac surgery unit and of the Heart Valve Center of the Irccs San Raffaele Hospital in Milan and professor of cardiac surgery at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University —. The most frequent valvular pathologies are aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation.

You can continue reading the article in Corriere Salute on newsstands for free on Thursday 9 February or in PDF on the Digital Edition of Corriere della Sera.