Patient was educated on aortic stenosis 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 stenosis is a condition of narrowing of the aortic valve opening. Narrowing of the aortic valve restricts the blood flow from the left ventricle into the aorta.
- 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 left atrium, increasing the volume and pressure in the left side of heart, resulting in enlargement of the left ventricle mainly and in severe cases, enlargement of left atrium too.
- This increased pressure in the left side of heart 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 stenosis might resemble that of a left heart failure to start with and gradually progress to involve right side of the heart too.
