People need a new aortic valve when their own valve fails to open and close sufficiently to pump blood to other parts of the body and to keep it from flowing backward in the heart. When closed, the valve's three cupped flaps, or leaflets, come together to form what looks like a peace symbol. Some people are born with two leaflets instead of three on their aortic valves. Some valves are damaged by rheumatic fever or other infections. Most valve disease, however, is acquired with age.
Calcium builds up and sometimes seals the valve shut.
This condition, known as stenosis, causes the left ventricle, or pumping chamber of the heart, to become thick as it works harder to push blood through the narrow opening. Doctors can diagnose the condition by listening with a stethoscope for a characteristic heart murmur. Other clues include an abnormal pulse, abnormal EKG or a thickened heart wall on a chest X-ray. Left untreated, aortic stenosis kills. Patients usually do not live 10 years beyond diagnosis.