A minimally invasive treatment option for mitral valve regurgitation

Brochures

Your doctor can prescribe medicines that help to treat the symptoms of a leaking mitral heart valve. These medicines treat the symptoms, but do not remove the cause itself. You can be given the following medicines:

Diuretics

Diuretics are medicines that help your body to secrete excess fluid. The medicine stimulates your kidneys to produce more urine. Because of this the heart has to pump less fluid through the body and fluid buildup (oedema), e.g. in the lungs or legs, is reduced.

Medicines that regulate blood pressure

Medicines that regulate blood pressure (e.g. ACE inhibitors or AT1 blockers) are used to make it possible for your heart to pump with less resistance. This takes the burden off your heart and less blood flows back.

Medicines that thin the blood

Blood thinners (anticoagulants or coagulation inhibitors) must reduce the risk of blood clots occurring. This protects against strokes. These often occur as a result of cardiac arrhythmias that can arise with mitral insufficiency.

  • Aortic valve insufficiency
    With aortic valve insufficiency the aortic valve no longer closes properly. Because of this, part of the blood that is pumped from the left ventricle into the aorta flows back again. However, because the left ventricle also has to accommodate fresh blood coming in from the left atrium, it becomes enlarged. This can result in cardiac insufficiency (a weak heart). Possible causes of aortic valve insufficiency are acute rheumatism, an affliction that can also affect the heart valves, or inflammation of the aortic valve (endocarditis) caused by bacteria.
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