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You have been given a new heart valve for a congenital heart valve change.

The heart pumps blood through the body. Inside the heart are 4 chambers. There are 2 heart atria and 2 ventricles. Both heart atria and both ventricles are separated from each other by a partition.

There are 4 valves in the heart. These valves ensure that the blood flows in the right direction. So they have to close tightly. They also have to open up fully so that the blood can be properly pumped out of the heart.

Major, important blood vessels branch out of the heart. The main artery (aorta), originating from the left lower chamber (ventricle) of the heart, supplies the whole body with oxygen-rich blood. The right ventricle pumps oxygen-poor blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs, where the blood is then enriched with oxygen.

Due to a congenital deformity, you only have one large blood vessel coming from your heart. This blood vessel is also known as the truncus arteriosus. This truncus arteriosus only separates into the aorta and pulmonary artery later on.

You have had the cardiac valve between your ventricles and your truncus arteriosus replaced by a new valve. Animal tissue was used for the replacement valve.