Mitral valve is also called?

Appeared in: JSSH Staff Nurse - 2019

Explanation

The mitral valve is also correctly known as the bicuspid valve.
The term 'bicuspid' refers to its structure, which consists of two leaflets or cusps.
It is one of the two atrioventricular (AV) valves, located between the left atrium and the left ventricle.
Its primary function is to prevent the backflow of oxygenated blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium during ventricular contraction (systole).

Option A: The pulmonic valve is a semilunar valve, not an atrioventricular valve like the mitral valve. It is located between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery and has three cusps.
Option B: The tricuspid valve is the other atrioventricular valve, but it is located on the right side of the heart between the right atrium and right ventricle. As its name implies, it has three cusps ('tri-').
Option D: Semilunar valve is a category or type of valve, not a specific name for the mitral valve. The aortic and pulmonic valves are semilunar valves. The mitral valve is classified as an atrioventricular valve.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Anatomy of the heart valves and their alternative names as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Knowing the names and locations of heart valves is fundamental for accurate cardiac assessment, especially during auscultation (listening to heart sounds) to identify murmurs and other abnormalities.
The mitral valve is the most frequently diseased heart valve (e.g., mitral stenosis, regurgitation, prolapse), making its anatomy clinically significant for nurses in assessing and monitoring patients.
What if? If a patient has mitral stenosis (a narrowing of the valve), the nurse would expect to hear a diastolic murmur best at the apex, as blood struggles to flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle through the narrowed valve.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question from anatomy and physiology.
Identify the key term in the question: 'Mitral valve'.
Recall the anatomical features of the mitral valve, specifically its structure and number of cusps.
Analyze the options based on prefixes: 'Bi-' means two, and 'Tri-' means three. The mitral valve has two cusps.
This directly links 'mitral' to 'bicuspid'.
Eliminate incorrect options: 'Pulmonic' and 'Tricuspid' are different, distinct valves. 'Semilunar' is a type of valve, not a specific name for the mitral valve.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QU_H2cMHnVzwlobipry-Wd

E6 Anatomy Applied Ashalatha 4e p. 165-167

E6 Physiology Essentials Sembulingam 10e Part 2 p. 162-164

Practise the full JSSH Staff Nurse - 2019

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.