Each year, millions of people die because of an increase in heart diseases or disorders.
A human heart is a magnificent organ, which is working continuously from birth till death. The basic purpose of the heart is to pump blood through each organ, and supply oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from each tissue. In some cases, any defects or abnormality can weaken structures of the heart, which is often known as structural heart disease.
However, with time, the number of people suffering from structural heart disease in Queens has increased. Well, this might have resulted due to a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits. All thanks to the advancement in medical science and technology, today we can successfully treat any structural heart diseases.
Before we dive into the available treatment options for structural heart disease, it is important to understand what is structural heart disease.
What is structural heart disease?
When it comes to structural heart disease, these problems are different from coronary artery disease. The latter problems are related to blood vessels that supply blood to the heart, such as blocked or narrowed arteries, which lead to a heart attack if left untreated.
A healthy heart is composed of four valves, which help in moving blood from the upper chambers to the lower chambers, then push it through the lungs and other organs. However, any defects in one or more valves can interrupt the normal functionality of the heart and result in major problems like kidney failure, migraines, difficulty in breathing and stroke.
In most cases, structural heart disease is congenital, which means they are present at birth.
Here are some of the common structural heart disease.
- Aortic stenosis
- Patent foramen ovale (PFO)
- Atrial septal defect (ASD)
- Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy
- Valvular heart disease
- Ventricular septal defect
- Pericardial disease
- Mitral stenosis
- Paravalvular leaks
- Mitral regurgitation
- Complex congenital heart disease
Treatment options for structural heart disease
Defects in heart valves and other structural heart problems can be treated with traditional open-heart surgery. Apart from this, we also have many minimally invasive procedures to treat structural heart defects - balloon valvuloplasty and transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Other treatment options include:
- Left atrial appendage closure
- PFO closure
- Percutaneous ventricular restoration therapy (PVRT)
- Valve Repair
- Valve replacement
In closing
If you think you or your loved one is having any signs of structural heart disease, immediately hire an experienced and board-certified heart doctor in Queens. With numerous heart specialists offering structural heart disease services in Queens, finding the right doctor can be a difficult task. Therefore, it is important to do some research before you hire any cardio-vascular doctor for yourself.
