AORTIC VALVE DISEASE

Course overview

AORTIC VALVE DISEASE CONSISTS OF BOTH REGURGITATIONS COMPRISING RETROGRADE FLOW THROW THE AORTIC VALVE AND STENOSIS OR NARROWING OF THE ORIFICE LIMITING THE ANTEROGRADE FLOW THROUGH THE VALVE. WHILE THE PATHOLOGY MAY DEVELOP OVER MANY YEARS, SYMPTOMS MAY NOT APPEAR UNTIL THE CONDITION IS SEVERE; AT THIS POINT, THE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF AORTIC VALVULAR DISEASE ARE VERY HIGH. MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS MUST IDENTIFY EARLY SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF AORTIC VALVE DISEASE. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE PHYSICAL EXAM FINDINGS AND HOW TO EVALUATE FURTHER IMAGING AND TESTS TO STAGE AORTIC VALVE DISEASE AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN DETERMINING THE PROPER TREATMENT MODALITY. ACE INHIBITORS SUCH AS LISINOPRIL ARE A MAINSTAY OF TREATING ALL HEART FAILURE WITH REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION, WHICH IS THE MOST COMMON CLINICAL CONSEQUENCE OF AORTIC VALVE DISEASE. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE USES OF ACE INHIBITORS TO MANAGE COMORBIDITIES AND THE BENEFITS AND PITFALLS OF THE DRUG. AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT IS THE SINGLE MOST ESSENTIAL TREATMENT MODALITY AND IS GENERALLY INDICATED IN PATIENTS WITH SYMPTOMATIC AORTIC VALVE DISEASE OR SEVERE DISEASE AS INDICATED BY THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION GUIDELINES. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE INDICATIONS FOR VALVE REPLACEMENT AS WELL AS THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF BOTH TRANSCATHETER AND SURGICAL TECHNIQUES.