Continuing with the theme of anticoagulation, we will be briefly introducing valvular heart disease this week. It is important to understand where the heart valves are, how they function in the heart, and what options are available for valve replacement as these patients often require anticoagulation and each of these factors can potentially impact the anticoagulation regimen used.
Learning Objectives
1) Differentiate between stenosis and regurgitation
2) Know the location and function of the 4 heart valves
3) Compare the thromboembolic risk with native, mechanical, and bioprosthetic valves
4) Recommend an appropriate anticoagulation regimen, including INR goals, for a patient with a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve taking into consideration the position of the valve, timing of the intervention, and patient specific factors.
Khan academy has several excellent videos on the topic, linked below. Please watch these prior to class:
There are several other great videos in this series if you would like to get a more in depth understanding of the different types of murmurs and valvular heart conditions, but the above videos are the only external videos required for this session.
The video below discusses the pharmacotherapeutic implications of valve replacement. Please watch this video as well: