The heart valves play a vital role in ensuring blood flows correctly through the heart and the rest of the body. If they do not function correctly, a person may require surgery to replace the damaged ...

In a healthy heart, blood flows in only one direction. The four valves of the heart prevent blood from flowing backward. But a leaky heart valve, or heart valve regurgitation, causes a backflow of ...

Scientists have investigated the ways oxygen permeates heart valves and the role hypoxia plays in valve diseases. As the valves in a heart stretch with each beat, their cells take in life-giving ...