Patient was educated on complication for valvular heart disease as follows:
- Endocarditis
- Patients with valvular disorders of the heart are at increased risk for infection of the inner layer of the heart or endocardium.
- Increased workload of the heart
- Pumping blood through the stenotic or incompletely open valve needs extra effort by the heart muscle.
- Extra effort by the heart must be compensated enough by extra blood and oxygen supply.
- Blood and oxygen supply is already compromised in an individual with stenosis, as the total blood volume pumped out of the heart is reduced.
- So, any extra workload on the heart makes chest pain and an episode of myocardial infarction more likely, damaging the heart muscle.
- Enlargement of heart
- Reduced output of blood from the heart with increased backup of blood in the chambers lead to enlargement of the cardiac chambers.
- Heart failure
- Reduced output from the heart with increased workload on the heart can contribute towards gradual failure of the heart, with symptoms of swelling of the extremities with pitting edema, and grossly limited exercise tolerance with exacerbation of episodes of shortness of breath.
