ANGLAIS MÉDICAL

English for Nurses: Heart Valve Disease

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Publié le 05/02/2025

Vous trouverez ici tout le vocabulaire utile relatif aux valvulopathies (ou maladies des valves cardiaques). N'hésitez pas pour bien faire à vous servir du dictionnaire en ligne Wordreference. Les corrigés des exercices sont à retrouver au format PDF, téléchargeables, à la fin de l'article.

Part 1 - Vocabulary: heart valve disease

Listen to the pronunciation of these terms at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzjvJAH9Ujo

aortic valve
congenital heart disease
mitral valve
pulmonary valve
rheumatic fever
tricuspid valve
valve replacement
valve repair
valve regurgitation
valve stenosis

Match the terms from the vocabulary list with their correct meanings

1) aortic valve	a) stiffening of the flaps of a valve so that they fuse together and narrow the opening of the valve
2) congenital heart disease	b) inflammatory condition that can develop after an untreated strep infection
3) mitral valve	c) insertion of a metal or biological prosthesis to replace a diseased valve
4) pulmonary valve	d) valve that connects the right atrium with the right ventricle
5) rheumatic fever	e) valve that connects the left side of the heart with the aorta
6) tricuspid valve	f) valvuloplasty: insertion of a balloon to widen the opening of a valve
7) valve replacement	g) valve that connects the right ventricle with the pulmonary artery
8) valve repairh	h) valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle
9) valve regurgitation	i) condition caused by incorrect heart formation before birth
10) valve stenosis	j) partial closing of a valve causing blood to leak backwards

Part 2 - Read about heart valve disease and its treatment.

Heart valve disease is when one or more of the heart valves do not work like they should and put extra strain on the heart making it work harder. This can eventually lead to a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. There are several types of heart valve disease, however the main problems are caused by the inability of the valves to open fully or to close properly.

The main problems are caused by the valve not opening fully (valve stenosis) or the valve not closing properly (valve regurgitation). Valve stenosis causes blockages or restrictions in blood flow, whilst valve regurgitation causes blood to leak back into the heart instead of being pumped around the body.

The main causes of heart valve disease are:

congenital heart disease: being born with an abnormal heart valve
a past history of rheumatic fever: inflammatory disease that causes scarring to the heart valves
cardiomyopathy: disease of the heart muscle
a past history of endocarditis: a heart infection

Heart valve disease may be treated with medicine, surgery or both.

Medications prescribed for heart valve disease include vasodilator drugs which aim to open blood vessels more fully to make blood flow easier, betablockers to help the heart beat slower and reduce its workload and anti-arrhythmic drugs which keep the heart’s rhythm normal.

Surgery for heart valve disease includes replacement of part or all of a valve or repair of all or part of a valve. During heart valve replacement surgery an artificial (metal) or biological (animal tissue) prosthesis replaces the diseased heart valve. During heart valve repair surgery the valve may be strengthened to prevent further leakage of blood or widened to improve blood flow.

Complete the sentences that follow.

(1) Heart valve disease may be caused by heart valves that are stiff and do not _________ fully or damaged and do not close properly.

(2) Heart valve disease can lead to _______________ or stroke, if untreated.

(3) There are several causes of heart valve disease, including heart disease from birth and ________________, caused after a strep infection.

(4) Heart valve disease may be treated with ______________ or surgery, e.g. valve replacement or valve repair.

Part 3 - Listening

Watch the video below and complete the dialogue. Check your answers with the transcript.

Nurse: Hi. I’m Suzanne. I’m one of the Intensive Care nurses. I’ve come to explain what will happen immediately after you’ve had your valve replacement _______________.
Patient: Thank you. The operation was explained to me, but I didn’t take in all the information about it.
Nurse: It’s very difficult to remember everything. It’s quite overwhelming.
Patient: Yes, it is.
Nurse: You’ll be in hospital for about a week. Immediately after the operation, you’ll be brought to the intensive care unit. Your _______________ will be monitored closely and you’ll also be given regular pain medication.
Patient: OK.
Nurse: When you come out of the operation, you’ll have some _______________ in your chest to drain blood from your chest area. You’ll also have some temporary _______________ in your chest called pacing wires. They’ll help to keep your heart rhythm normal and will be removed in a couple of days.
Patient: Right. Will I have anything else?
Nurse: You’ll have a catheter in your _______________ to drain your urine and so the nurses can measure your fluid output.
Patient: How long will I be in the intensive care unit?
Nurse: Patients usually stay in ICU for the first 24 to 48 hours. When the doctors think you are ready, you’ll be transferred to the _______________.
Patient: How soon will I be able to get up and move around?
Nurse: Around day 5 the nurses on the cardiac ward will help you to start _______________ gently. You’ll have to take it slowly and gradually increase your activity level. It can take up to three months to return to normal.
Patient: I see. What about the wound on my chest? How long will it take to heal?
Nurse: It usually takes between six and eight weeks to _______________. Before you go home, you’ll be instructed on how to care for the wound and how to watch for signs of infection.
Patient: OK.