Where is the aortic valve?
• The heart has 4 chambers (rooms). The two upper chambers are called atria (A-tree-uh) and the two lower chambers are called ventricles. When the heart “beats”, the atria pump blood into the ventricles. The ventricles then pump blood out of the heart. The right ventricle pumps blood into the pulmonary artery then into the lungs to get oxygen. The left ventricle pumps the blood with oxygen into the aorta and out to the body. • There are valves (doors) between the chambers that open and close to direct blood flow through the heart. The aortic valve is between the left ventricle and the aorta. The aortic valve is made up of 3 “cusps”. The cusps come from the sides and top of the valve and meet in the middle. As the heart beats, the aortic valve opens to let blood flow from the left ventricle into the aorta. When the heart rests between beats, the aortic valve should close and keep blood from flowing backward into the left ventricle. What happens to my heart when I have AR? • When blood l
