Patient was educated on mitral stenosis and its pathogenesis as follows:
- Mitral valve is the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle and is also called left atrioventricular valve.
- Mitral valve permits one-way flow of blood, from the left atrium to left ventricle.
- Mitral stenosis is a condition of narrowing of the mitral valve opening. Narrowing of the mitral valve restricts the blood flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle.
- The volume of oxygenated blood pumped out of the left ventricle, into the circulation, is reduced.
- The blood gets backed up in the left atrium, increasing the volume and pressure in the left atrium, resulting in enlargement of the left atrium.
- This increased pressure in the left atrium can also result in increased resistance to receiving oxygenated blood flow from the lungs via pulmonary veins.
- This can contribute to increased pressure in the pulmonary circuit with resulting leakage of fluid from pulmonary capillaries and developing pulmonary edema with difficulty in exchange of gases and shortness of breath.
- Reduced output of oxygenated blood from the left ventricle will result in compromised blood and oxygen supply to the vital organs and consequently, affecting their function.
- Symptoms of mitral stenosis might resemble that of a left heart failure to start with and gradually progress to involve right side of the heart too.
