Heart Valve Problems What Is It? The heart has four valves: the
aortic, mitral, tricuspid and pulmonary valves. Like valves used
in house plumbing, the heart valves open to allow fluid (blood)
to be pumped forward, and they close to prevent fluid from
flowing backward. Human heart valves are flaps of tissue called
leaflets or cusps. Heart valve problems fall into two major
categories: - Stenosis - The opening of the valve is too narrow,
and this interferes with the forward flow of blood -
Regurgitation - The valve doesn't close properly. It leaks,
sometimes causing a significant backflow of blood. Heart valve
problems can be congenital, which means present at birth, or
acquired after birth. A heart valve problem is classified as
congenital when some factor during fetal development causes the
valve to form abnormally. Congenital heart valve disease affects
about 1 in 1,000 newborns. Most of these infants have stenosis
of either the pulmonary or the aortic valve. Most of the time, a
specific reason for the cong