Overview

What is pulmonary valve disease?

Any condition that impairs the proper function of this particular heart valve is known as pulmonary valve disease. Your pulmonary valve is the gatekeeper that allows blood to travel via your pulmonary artery from your heart's lower chamber (right ventricle) to your lungs. This enables your blood to receive new oxygen and be distributed throughout your body

When you have a pulmonary valve issue, it becomes more difficult for blood to reach your lungs, delaying the delivery of oxygen to your tissues, cells, and organs.

Pulmonary valve diseases come in several forms:

Regurgitation (leaking) of the pulmonary valve.
Stenosis (narrowing) of the pulmonary valve.
Pulmonary atresia, or a malformed or absent valve from birth.

What are the symptoms of pulmonary valve disease?

The following symptoms may indicate pulmonary valve disease:

Heart rhythm disturbances, which are a murmur heard with a stethoscope.
Shortness of breath, especially during physical activity.
Chest discomfort.
Loss of consciousness.
There are no symptoms in patients with mild regurgitation or stenosis.
Infants with pulmonary atresia have blue skin (cyanosis), trouble breathing, and difficulties eating. They are also extremely tired.

What causes pulmonary valve disease?

The conditions that cause pulmonary valve disease differ-

Causes of pulmonary stenosis: Although the cause of pulmonary stenosis is unknown in many cases, it can also result from some genetic abnormalities or rubella exposure in a pregnant mother.
Pulmonary regurgitation causes: Rheumatic fever, endocarditis, pulmonary hypertension, certain congenital heart problems, and cardiac treatments can cause pulmonary atresia. It is a common symptom of patients with permanent Tetralogy of Fallot.
Causes of pulmonary atresia: While the origin of atresia is often unknown, possible causes include genetic defects in the fetus, exposure to toxins, or consumption of specific foods during pregnancy.

What are the diagnoses and tests for pulmonary valve disease?

Childhood diagnosis of pulmonary valve stenosis is common. However, detection might only occur later in life. Doctors listen to the heart with a stethoscope. An audible whooshing sound is known as a cardiac murmur. The sound is produced by choppy blood flow over the narrowed valve.

The fetal heart scan (for atresia) is a test to diagnose pulmonary valve stenosis. Tests that need to be done to diagnose pulmonary valve disease are-

Echocardiography (to look for atresia, stenosis, or regurgitation).
Pulse oximetry (for atresia).
Heart catheterization (for atresia or stenosis).
An electrocardiogram is known as an EKG (for regurgitation or atresia).
Heart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for stenosis or regurgitation
X-ray of the chest (for regurgitation).

What is the treatment for pulmonary valve disease?

Treatments for pulmonary valve disease vary depending on your situation and include medication and surgery.

Certain medications and treatments are given below-

Treatments for pulmonary valve disease are:

Expand your pulmonary valve via balloon valvuloplasty.
A stent (for atresia) or medication to prevent the ductus arteriosus in a newborn from closing up quickly after birth.
Diuretics are used to avoid fluid retention in patients with heart failure caused by a leaking valve.
Medications for endocarditis or pulmonary hypertension (for regurgitation).
Open cardiac surgery or a transcatheter treatment can be used to replace or fix a leaking valve.

What are the complications/side effects of the treatments?

After surgery, some babies could have difficulty feeding and might need to have a tube inserted into their nose to get nourishment.

Your youngster will require antibiotics to recover from valve replacement surgery before receiving dental work. This medication reduces their risk of developing endocarditis, a type of heart infection.

Following repair, the pulmonary valve may leak. A provider might need to replace it or widen it again.

Any procedure has the potential to bleed or become infected.

How can I lower my risk?

There is no way to reduce your chance of having a child with pulmonary valve disease from unidentified sources. However, you must ensure that you have had the most recent dose of the rubella vaccination if you intend to become pregnant.

You may be able to avoid pulmonary valve regurgitation by avoiding the three conditions that lead to it—pulmonary hypertension, endocarditis, and rheumatic fever.

If I have pulmonary valve disease, what should I expect?

Your experience with pulmonary valve disease may differ from someone else's. A small percentage of patients only require minimal surgery. There's a chance that some people will require multiple pulmonary valve surgeries throughout their lifetime.

Living With

How can I look after myself?

Manage the things you can to keep your heart healthy, such as:

Regulating your cholesterol and blood pressure.
Avoiding goods made of tobacco.
Regular exercise.
Consuming foods low in or free of saturated fat, such as fruits, vegetables, and other foods.

Why Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital for Pulmonary Valve Disease?

Tender Palm Hospital has the most experienced team of Cardiologists, Cardiac Surgeons, and diagnostics with the latest and International standard infection control measures in Lucknow, India. The Cardiac Science Centre team has decades of experience in successfully treating Pulmonary Valve Disease.