In a normally functioning heart, four valves regulate blood flow so that blood travels through the heart in one direction and at the right rate. When something goes wrong with one of these valves, the heart and rest of the body do not get proper amounts of oxygen and nutrients. A person with a faulty heart valve may experience fatigue, chest pain, or other symptoms – or no symptoms at all.
To better understand the function of heart valves, it can first help to visualize the heart. The heart is divided into four chambers, the left atrium and ventricle and the right atrium and ventricle. A wall called the septum divides the two sides of the heart.
When blood returns to the heart from the body, it fills the right atrium. The tricuspid valve then opens, allowing blood to be pumped to the ventricle below. Then the ventricle contracts and pumps blood through the pulmonary valve to the lungs. The blood returns from the lungs and then fills the left atrium. The mitral valve then opens, allowing blood to pass from the left atrium to the ventricle below. The left ventricle then contracts and the aortic valve opens, allowing blood to travel through the aorta to blood vessels throughout your body.
A problem with any of the heart’s four valves can compromise the ability of your heart to perform its vital role in blood circulation.