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Obstructed blood flow
When vessels or valves become narrowed, the heart must work harder to move blood through them. Imagine trying to squeeze water out of a small hole in a balloon, rather than a large hole, and you'll get the idea. Among the most common obstructive defects is pulmonary stenosis (stuh-NO-sis), a narrowing of the pulmonary valve, through which blood passes from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery. Another obstructive defect, aortic stenosis, is a narrowing of the aortic valve, through which blood passes from the left ventricle into the aorta, eventually causing the heart muscle to thicken and the left ventricle to enlarge.
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Abnormal blood flow |
