Patient was educated on aortic regurgitation and its pathogenesis as follows:
- Aortic valve is the valve between left ventricle and the aorta, permitting one-way flow of blood, from the left ventricle into the aorta, carrying oxygenated blood to all the organs through general circulation.
- Aortic regurgitation is a condition of incomplete closing of the aortic valve, resulting in back flow of blood from the aorta into the left ventricle.
- Since more blood pools on the left side of the heart, the volume of oxygenated blood pumped out of the left ventricle, into the circulation, is reduced.
- The blood gets backed up in the left ventricle and the left atrium, increasing the volume and pressure in the left side of the heart, resulting in enlargement of the left ventricle mainly and then, also of the left atrium over time.
- 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 aortic regurgitation might resemble that of a left heart failure to start with and gradually progress to involve right side of the heart too.
