

Patrick McCarthy, the Executive Director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. To help you learn more about the treatment of tricuspid valve disease, which is sometimes referred to as the "forgotten valve", I met with Dr. Depending on the severity of the backflow of blood, cardiac surgery may be required. Surgery to repair or replace the tricuspid valve is rarely done unless surgery on another heart valve (for example, the mitral valve) is also needed.

Cough, especially at night or when lying downĪs for the treatment of tricuspid regurgitation, usually mild tricuspid regurgitation requires little or no treatment.This condition is called tricuspid regurgitation (. Fatigue, especially during times of increased activity When the flaps dont close properly, blood leaks back into a chamber of the heart instead of moving forward.Shortness of breath, especially with exertion or when you lie down.Myxomatous degeneration (a hereditary disorder in which the valve gradually becomes floppy).Īccording to the Cleveland Clinic, some of the most common symptoms of tricuspid regurgitation include:.Birth defects of the tricuspid valve (congenital heart disorders).Heart valve infection (bacterial endocarditis).The causes of tricuspid regurgitation can be attributed to a number of different causes.Ĭauses of tricuspid regurgitation include: If you are just starting to learn about heart disease, I posted a human heart diagram to help you understand the anatomy of the heart. Heart enlargement (dilation) of the right atrium also can result in atrial fibrillation, a rapid, irregular heartbeat.Įventually, tricuspid regurgitation can result in heart failure. The liver may swell because of this increased pressure. As the right ventricle contracts to pump blood forward to the lungs, some blood leaks backward into the right atrium, increasing the volume of blood, resulting in less blood being pumped through the heart and, ultimately, to rest of the body.Īs a result, the right atrium enlarges, and blood pressure increases in the right atrium. Tricuspid regurgitation (also known as tricuspid incompetence, tricuspid insufficiency) is leakage of blood backward through the tricuspid valve each time the right ventricle contracts. While regurgitation can impact each of the heart valves, it is most common in the mitral and tricuspid valves.ĭepending on the severity of the disease, tricuspid regurgitation can ultimately lead to either tricuspid valve repair or tricuspid valve replacement surgery. More specifically, I started to connect with patients who suffered from tricuspid regurgitation, which is a common form of heart valve disease. After launching this website, I began meeting patients with other forms of heart valve disease.
