Ace the Cardiac Vascular Nursing Exam 2025 – Pump Up Your Success!

Aortic stenosis leads to pressure overload in the left ventricle due to the narrowing of the aortic valve, which increases resistance against which the heart must pump. As the left ventricle works harder to eject blood through the stenotic valve, it compensates for this increased workload by thickening its walls in a process known as left ventricular hypertrophy. This hypertrophy is a direct consequence of the sustained high pressure that the heart must generate to overcome the obstruction created by the aortic stenosis.

In this context, pressure overload is a critical indicator of the hemodynamic changes occurring due to aortic stenosis, differentiating it from other conditions that may lead to volume overload (more relevant to issues like regurgitation), myocardial remodeling (associated with ischemic heart disease and other chronic issues), and electrical disturbances (such as arrhythmias that might arise from various heart conditions but are not directly a hallmark of aortic stenosis). Recognizing the effects of aortic stenosis on the heart's structure and function is essential for understanding the disease progression and subsequent management strategies for affected patients.