Physiologic Changes in Mitral Stenosis

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Abstract
THE effects of mitral stenosis on the heart and lungs are due to an obstructive lesion between the left atrium and ventricle. The bodily response to such an obstruction is initially twofold. Most important is a rise of pressure proximal to the obstruction — that is, in the left atrium, pulmonary veins, pulmonary capillaries, pulmonary artery and right ventricle. The amount of blood passing through the obstructed area — the cardiac output — becomes reduced.The size of the orifice of the normal mitral valve in an adult is about 5 sq. cm. The pressure in the left atrium is . . .