Adam’s Heart Valve Surgery Blog

I just received a question from Kim that reads, “My son has just been diagnosed with a heart valve prolapse. Can you help me understand a heart valve prolapse better?”

Considering that prolapsed heart valves are very common, I imagine Kim’s question may be on your mind as well. So, here is a quick explanation and a hyperlink for more information.

A heart valve prolapse typically impacts the mitral valve of the heart. Research suggests that mitral valve prolapse impacts about 5% of the population.

In essence, a heart valve prolapse occurs when the leaflets of the heart valve do not seal properly. In the case of a mitral valve prolapse, the two leaflets of the mitral valve buckle improperly which results in blood backflow (aka regurgitation) into the heart. As a result, leaky heart valve symptoms can occur.

To learn more about mitral valve prolapse, click here.

I hope this helps you better understand heart valve prolapse.

Keep on tickin!

Adam Pick is a double heart valve replacement patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, a unique book which integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of an actual heart valve surgery patient.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 27th, 2008 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Diagnosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Print This Post | EMail This Post.