Report Detail
U.S. Markets for Heart Valve Repair and Replacement Products
Heart valves act like a system of one-way doors to direct the flow of blood through the heart. Oxygen-depleted blood returns from the body to the “right” heart where it flows into the right atrium, through the open tricuspid valve, and into the right ventricle; the tricuspid valve then closes to stop blood from flowing backward into the right atrium. From the right ventricle, the oxygen-depleted blood is pumped through the pulmonary valve and into the lungs to take up oxygen. Oxygen-rich blood returns from the lungs to the “left” heart, where it flows into the left atrium, through the open mitral valve, and into the left ventricle; the mitral valve then closes to stop blood from flowing backward into the left atrium. From the left ventricle, the oxygen-rich blood is pumped through the aortic valve and on to the rest of the body, where it distributes its load of oxygen and then is returned to the right heart to begin the cycle again.