Can you live with 2 heart valves?

Many people can live with a bicuspid aortic valve for their entire life, but there are those who may need to have their valve surgically replaced or repaired. When people are born with a bicuspid aortic valve, the bicuspid valve typically functions well throughout childhood and early adulthood.

What happens if you only have 2 heart valves?

A bicuspid aortic valve is an aortic valve that has two flaps (cusps) instead of three. It may cause a narrowed or obstructed aortic valve opening (aortic valve stenosis), making it difficult for the heart to pump blood into the body’s main artery (aorta).

Is a bicuspid valve serious?

Yes, about 30% of people with bicuspid aortic valve disease develop complications. They can be very serious, even life-threatening. This is why people diagnosed with BAVD should be under the ongoing care of a specialist in heart valve disease who can monitor changes in the heart, valves and aorta over time.

How long can a person live with a bad heart valve?

In developing countries, it progresses much more rapidly and may lead to symptoms in children less than 5 years of age. Around 80% of patients with mild symptoms live for at least 10 years after diagnosis.

Can you have 3 heart valves?

In some cases, a person can have 3 leaflets but 2 leaflets become fused together over time. This is a condition called functional bicuspid valve. It can occur with other heart defects.

How do you fix a bicuspid valve?

Bicuspid aortic valve repair A bicuspid aortic valve may be repaired by reshaping the aortic valve leaflets allowing the valve to open and close more completely. Bicuspid aortic valve repair may be an option to treat leaking valves, but it can not be used to treat a stenotic or narrowed bicuspid aortic valve.

Can a heart valve be repaired without surgery?

While this condition can lead to serious health problems, it is treatable – even more so these days due to a minimally invasive procedure using the MitraClip. This FDA-approved device allows physicians to fix faulty heart valves without doing open heart surgery.

What are the four valves of the heart?

Tricuspid Valve. The Tricuspid Valve is between the right atrium and the right ventricle.