Aortic Stenosis Care at CritiCare Asia Hospitals, Kurla
The aortic valve sits where oxygen-rich blood leaves the heart's main pumping chamber and enters the aorta, the body's largest artery. Aortic stenosis means this valve has narrowed. When it does not open fully, the heart must push harder to send blood through a smaller opening, and over time that strain causes damage. CritiCare Asia Hospitals is a heart hospital in Kurla, Mumbai that focuses on finding this narrowing early. Our team explains each finding in simple words, so patients understand their condition before treatment begins. Patients can receive aortic stenosis treatment in Kurla, Mumbai from the same cardiology team that makes the diagnosis.
Symptoms and Severity of Aortic Stenosis
Aortic stenosis can stay silent for years. Symptoms usually appear once the narrowing becomes moderate to severe:
Chest pain that gets worse with activity
Dizziness or fainting during effort
Breathlessness and tiredness with physical activity
Palpitations, which means a racing or pounding heartbeat
In children, poor appetite and difficulty gaining normal weight
In advanced cases, constant tiredness, breathing trouble and swelling of the feet and ankles
Because the condition can progress quietly, regular heart check-ups matter even without symptoms, especially if a valve defect has been known since birth. The best aortic stenosis specialists in Kurla, Mumbai at CritiCare Asia Hospitals can assess your risk.
Access, Costs and Clarity for Families
Aortic stenosis needs follow-up over many years, so an easy journey matters. Before any procedure, our team explains the tests planned, the likely hospital stay, and which costs insurance or cashless facilities may cover. Families should know this before deciding, and a clear explanation from the start prevents confusion later.
How Aortic Stenosis Affects the Heart
The heart uses four valves to keep blood moving one way. When the flaps of the aortic valve, called cusps, stiffen or fail to open fully, the left ventricle has to contract harder. Over months and years, the ventricle wall thickens. This first helps the heart cope, but eventually it weakens the muscle and raises the risk of heart failure. The best cardiologists in Kurla, Mumbai at CritiCare Asia Hospitals can evaluate how far the condition has advanced.
What Causes It
Congenital valve defects
some people are born with a valve that has two cusps instead of three (a bicuspid valve), or rarely one or four. These often stay silent until adulthoodCalcium build-up
over decades, calcium deposits stiffen the valve. This is the most common cause in people in their 70s and 80s, and appears earlier in those with a congenital defectRheumatic heart disease
scar tissue from an earlier untreated streptococcal infection can narrow the valve, sometimes affecting more than one valve
How It Is Diagnosed
A doctor listening for a heart murmur is often the first clue, but confirming the condition and its severity needs tests:
Echocardiogram
the main test, using sound waves to show the valve moving and measure how restricted the blood flow isECG
records electrical activity and can show chamber enlargement or rhythm problemsChest X-ray
can show an enlarged heart or aorta, and sometimes calcium on the valveCardiac catheterisation or CT
used when more detail on pressure or structure is needed before treatmentExercise tolerance test
checks whether symptoms appear on effort
Findings are used to stage the condition as mild, moderate or severe. Treatment decisions depend on this stage and on whether symptoms are present.
Why Untreated Severe Aortic Stenosis Is Dangerous
Once the condition becomes severe, risks go beyond breathlessness and tiredness. Fainting, worsening heart failure, and, if untreated, a higher chance of sudden cardiac events are why doctors move from watching to active treatment, even when symptoms seem manageable.
Treatment Options for Aortic Stenosis
Mild or symptom-free cases are usually watched with regular echocardiograms, along with lifestyle measures and medicines for related problems such as high blood pressure or cholesterol. When the condition becomes severe or causes symptoms, valve repair or replacement is usually advised:
Surgical aortic valve replacement: an open-chest operation for patients who are good surgical candidates
Balloon valvuloplasty: a catheter procedure that widens the valve, generally a bridge to a more lasting treatment
TAVI or TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve implantation or replacement): a catheter-based replacement passed through a leg artery, without open-chest surgery, especially suited to patients at intermediate or high surgical risk
When replacement is needed, the type of valve matters for the long term. Mechanical valves last long but need lifelong blood thinners to prevent clots. Tissue valves usually do not need long-term blood thinners but may wear out and need replacement later in life. Whichever is chosen, regular echocardiograms are advised after aortic valve replacement in Kurla, Mumbai.
Aortic Stenosis Care at CritiCare Asia Hospitals, Kurla
From the first echocardiogram through valve replacement and follow-up, one cardiology team coordinates every stage of care. The cardiologist who makes the diagnosis stays involved in deciding between monitoring, medicines, and valve replacement, because treatment often changes as severity changes. To discuss symptoms or book a cardiac evaluation, get in touch with our Kurla facility.