It is a painless exam. The path of blood flow through the heart and thus all four valves is demonstrated in the two figures below. From the right atrium blood passes through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle and then through the pulmonary valve. It then moves on through the lungs. Sometimes the heart will develop atrial fibrillation as a result of the enlarged left atrium.
Atrial fibrillation is a type of irregular heart beat.
Click here to learn more about this irregular heart beat. Similarly, a valve whose opening is too wide and is not able to stop the backward flow of blood when it attempts to close, is insufficient. Do you have a question about heart valve disease e-mail us today.