Valvular Heart Disease in Adults: Management of Native Valve Disease

Abstract

Patients with valvular heart disease (VHD) should be treated for diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. They also should receive therapy for left ventricular dysfunction, undergo interval echocardiography, and participate in aerobic exercise. Valve replacement should be considered for patients with aortic stenosis (AS) and syncope, presyncope, heart failure, angina, or severe AS with left ventricular dysfunction. Valve replacement is performed with open or transcatheter procedures; the latter are preferred for patients with high surgical risk. Patients with chronic aortic regurgitation (AR) should undergo open surgical replacement if they are symptomatic or are asymptomatic but have severe regurgitation and left ventricular dysfunction. No transcatheter procedures currently are approved for AR. Patients with mitral stenosis (MS) should receive drugs for heart rate control and anticoagulation if they have atrial fibrillation. Invasive treatment involves valve replacement or percutaneous commissurotomy. Management of severe chronic mitral regurgitation consists of valve replacement or, for patients with high surgical risk, a percutaneous transcatheter procedure that clips the mitral leaflets together. When severe, tricuspid regurgitation can be managed with valve replacement. Pregnant patients with VHD require special management. Women with severe AS or MS should avoid becoming pregnant until VHD is managed definitively.