Adam’s Heart Valve Surgery Blog

Since it is the Fourth of July weekend here in the United States, I thought it would be interesting to write a blog that connects the number “4″ to heart valves. That said, here goes nothin’…

In the past, we’ve discussed the unique anatomy of heart valve leaflets - the tissue flaps that open and close in the valve to ensure that blood flows in one direction through the heart. While the aortic, tricuspid and pulmonary valves typically have three leaflets (also known as heart valve flaps), the mitral valve only has two leaflets. Here is a diagram of the human heart valves illustrating this point.

We have also discussed the genetic issues which produce irregular leaflet counts. For example, congenital bicuspid aortic valves have two leaflets which can severely compromise blood flow through the heart. And, we have also learned about extraordinary, patient stories in which heart valves are unicuspid - having only one heart valve leaflet. Remember Shannon’s unicuspid heart valve discovery?

This brings me to my heart valve trivia question of the day. That question is, “Do quadricuspid heart valves - valves with four leaflets - exist?” (To find out the answer, scroll below this image of a quadricuspid heart valve… Hint! Hint!)

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I’ll never forget when I learned my options for a heart valve replacement.

Dr. Trento, the first surgeon I interviewed, briefly discussed the pros and cons of pig valves, cow valves, human donor valves (homografts) and mechanical valves with me. While I immediately understood the use of mechanical valves and homografts for aortic valve replacement, it took me some time to truly understand how pigs and cows provided a suitable alternative for a human heart valve.

Now, however, I am fully aware of the benefits that pig valves (aka porcine valves) and cow valves (aka bovine valves) offer patients requiring heart valve replacement surgery.

That said, I was somewhat surprised to learn that patients might have another biological option to consider in the future.  According to a recent report in the Canadian Medical Journal (CMJA), researchers in Quebec will soon begin testing heart valves from harp seals to determine if they are suitable for use in humans.

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Quick trivia for you…

According to The Cleveland Clinic, “How long does it take for blood to circulate through your vascular system?”

A. 2 second
B. 20 seconds
C. 2 minutes
D. 20 minutes
E. 2 hours

To find the answer, scroll down below the beating heart.

The answer is… 20 seconds.

That’s pretty amazing considering the complex network of blood vessels - arteries, veins and capillaries - that carry blood through the body. According to The Cleveland Clinic, that system is over 60,000 miles long. That’s long enough to circle Earth twice!

Keep on tickin!

About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of 78 former valve surgery patients to help patients and caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.

As you know, I like to search the Internet for anything that might help patients and caregivers better understand their hearts and their heart valves - before, during and after heart valve surgery. On that note, I recently came across a very neat, very interactive heart anatomy chart at YourHeartValve.com.

This chart enables the user to scroll over the different parts of the human heart to learn more about the different structures within the heart and how they function. If you are interested in learning more about the basics of human heart anatomy, please click the image below or this link.

I hope this helps you better understand how the human heart functions!

Keep on tickin!

P.S. To leave a comment, please click here.

About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of 78 former valve surgery patients to help patients and caregivers better understand the opportunities and challenges of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.