Structural Heart Disease
Key Takeaways for Patients:
- Structural heart disease refers to abnormalities in the heart’s valves, walls, or chambers.
- You may be born with these conditions, or they can develop as you age.
- Common symptoms include shortness of breath, unexplained fatigue, and fluid retention.
- Today, specialists can safely repair many structural defects using minimally invasive techniques.
What is Structural Heart Disease?
Structural heart disease is a broad medical term. It refers to any defect or abnormality in your heart’s physical anatomy. This includes your heart’s valves, walls, and muscle chambers.
Unlike coronary artery disease, which involves blocked blood vessels (treated with Angioplasty), structural conditions involve the heart’s actual tissue and mechanics. You can develop these issues from aging, infections, or underlying conditions. Sometimes, patients are simply born with them.
Common Structural Heart Conditions
We diagnose and treat a wide variety of structural heart defects in our clinic. The most common conditions include:
- Heart Valve Disease: Your heart has four valves that keep blood flowing in the correct direction. Sometimes, these valves narrow (stenosis) or leak (regurgitation).
- Congenital Heart Defects: These are physical abnormalities present from birth. Common examples include “holes in the heart” like Atrial Septal Defects (ASD) or Ventricular Septal Defects (VSD).
- Cardiomyopathy: This involves physical changes to the heart muscle itself, making it harder for your heart to pump blood efficiently.
You can learn more about specific structural heart defects from the American Heart Association.
Warning Signs You Should Not Ignore
Structural heart diseases force your heart to work much harder than normal. This extra strain produces specific physical warning signs. You must pay attention to your body.
Contact a cardiologist if you experience severe shortness of breath, dizzy spells, or chronic fatigue. You should also watch out for swelling in your legs or abdomen. Furthermore, never ignore unusual chest pain or silent heart attack symptoms.
Advanced, Minimally Invasive Treatments
In the past, treating structural heart disease always required major open-heart surgery. Fortunately, medical technology has advanced significantly.
Today, Dr. Bhavesh Roy performs many complex structural repairs using minimally invasive catheter techniques. For example, we can treat severe mitral valve disease without opening your chest using procedures like Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR).
These modern approaches mean less physical pain, shorter hospital stays, and significantly faster recovery times for our patients. You can read more about how modern clinics maintain quality in these procedures via the American College of Cardiology.
Schedule Your Heart Evaluation Today
Do you suspect you have a structural heart condition? Have you recently received a complex cardiac diagnosis? Protect your heart with an expert medical evaluation.
Contact Dr. Bhavesh Roy today. We will help you understand your diagnosis and explore the safest, most effective treatment options available.