Comprehensive assessment of the aortic valve in critically ill patients for the non-cardiologist. Part II: Chronic aortic regurgitation of the native valve

Abstract

Aortic regurgitation (AR) is caused by incomplete diastolic closure of the aortic valve (AV). Diastolic regurgitation towards the left ventricle (LV) causes LV volume overload, resulting in eccentric LV remodelling.The Framingham Study has reported a prevalence of traceable AR by echocardiography of 13.0% in men and 8.5% in women in the study population [1], with moderate and severe AR occurring in 0.5% of the total study population [2].This review intends to give a comprehensive overview of the assessment of AR for clinicians work-