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The British Heart Valve Society calls for a rapid access treatment pathway for severe symptomatic heart valve [...]
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Guidelines and Statements Treatments for heart valve disease
Explore which hospitals in the UK havespecialised heart valve services Find your nearest hospital specialised [...]
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Results BHVS Elections 2024-2026 Thank you to all members who submitted their votes for the [...]
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Advancing the access to cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment among women with cardiovascular disease: a joint [...]
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Guidelines and Statements News
The British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) and partners are delighted to share updated resources designed [...]
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Sadly not all heart valve disease can be treated by keyhole or surgical operations. There are a small set of patients that cannot undergo valvular intervention due to either frailty, technical reasons or other comorbid illness. If symptoms of heart valve disease are not adequately managed by your cardiologist then they may seek specialist help […]
Ahead of surgery Make sure you have had a dental check within the last six months. Good oral hygiene is important, because an infection around the teeth or in the gums can spread to the replaced or repaired heart valve. This would be difficult to treat and often requires repeat surgery. If you are on […]
Mechanical (metal) valve About 20% of all surgical valves used in Europe and the USA are mechanical. A mechanical (sometimes called metal) heart valve is an artificial valve made out of carbon, a material originally developed to coat used radioactive rods taken from nuclear reactors. This material is exceptionally light and strong. Carbon is […]
What is heart valve surgery? Heart valve surgery is a procedure where the surgeon enters the chest cavity and either replaces or repairs the faulty valve. This is almost always performed on a heart-lung bypass machine. The surgeon can access the heart via various routes but most commonly this is done by making an incision […]
Balloon mitral valvuloplasty This is a procedure performed for patients with a condition known as mitral stenosis which is a thickening of the heart valve where the valve does not open normally. Usually only valves that are thickened due to underlying rheumatic fever are suitable for this technique. It is a keyhole procedure which is […]
In most cases patients who have a faulty heart valve that is causing symptoms or strain on the heart will need a valve intervention (either keyhole or surgical) to treat it. In a small number of cases medications can be used to treat the symptoms of heart valve disease such as water tablets (e.g. frusemide […]
There are many types of heart valve intervention. The commonest type is heart valve replacement surgery. During this operation your faulty valve is removed and a new valve is put in its place. These valves can either be metal (mechanical) or tissue (bioprosthetic, usually from pig or cow tissue). Your surgeon will discuss the different […]
This is usually caused by varicose or incompetent veins, hot weather, being overweight or normal fluid retention. On its own it is far less commonly a symptom of heart disease – although it can be important if the swelling is progressive, creeps further up the legs and is associated with shortness of breath.Â
These are not usually a symptom of heart valve disease but may require an assessment by your healthcare professional to ensure that there are no abnormalities of you heart rhythm which may suggest a progression of your underlying heart valve disease.Â
Some patients notice fatigue rather than breathlessness or chest pain during or after exercise. People with valve disease – particularly aortic stenosis – tend to slow down or limit their activity to avoid getting chest tightness or breathlessness. A reduction in exercise capacity can therefore be the first symptom. This is often put down […]