Pulmonary Valve Disease

Treatment

Treatment options for pulmonary valve defects include:

Careful monitoring
Medications
Heart valve surgery

Careful monitoring

If tests reveal a mild to moderate condition and the patient has no symptoms, the physician will suggest regular medical checkups to carefully monitor the pulmonary heart valve so medications can be prescribed or surgery done, if appropriate.

Medications

People who have heart valve disease are at increased risk for getting bacterial endocarditis, an infection of the lining of the heart and its valves, which can progress rapidly and be fatal. They must take antibiotics prior to any dental and surgical procedures that potentially could introduce bacteria into the bloodstream.

Medications are available to control pain, reduce the workload on the heart and regulate the heart's rhythm, and in some cases may slow the progression of pulmonary valve disease. However, no medications can cure heart valve disease.

Depending on the nature of the pulmonary valve disease, these medications may be prescribed:

• Digitalis, which reduces the heart's workload and eases some symptoms.
• Diuretics, which can lower the salt and fluid levels in the body, lowering the pressure at which blood passes through the valves. Diuretics also reduce swelling and ease the heart's workload.
• Anticoagulant medicines, which prevent blood clots.
• Beta-blockers, which control the heart rate and lower blood pressure.
• Calcium channel blockers, which affect the contractions of muscle tissue in the heart. By lowering blood pressure and reducing the heart's workload, calcium channel blockers may delay the need for heart valve surgery.
• ACE inhibitors, which widen blood vessels, lower blood pressure and decrease the heart's workload.

Pulmonary valve surgery

If valve damage becomes more severe and medications do not control the symptoms, surgery to repair or replace the valve becomes necessary.

Heart surgeons agree that, whenever possible, a heart valve should be repaired instead of replaced. Valve repair may be performed to separate fused valve leaflets, sew torn leaflets or reshape parts of the valve. Heart valve repair leaves patients with their own normally functioning tissue, which is resistant to infection and does not require blood-thinning medication. In some cases, however, the valve is too damaged for repair and must be replaced with a prosthetic (artificial) valve.

Read more about heart valve surgery at Mayo Clinic.