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Reduce your salt intake. A low-salt diet can help lower your blood pressure, which will in turn reduce the strain on your heart. It will not repair a defective valve, but it can reduce the likelihood that it will get worse. Even if surgery isn’t necessary for you, your doctor may still recommend you eat a low-salt diet.

Depending on how high your blood pressure is, your doctor may want you to reduce your salt intake to 2,300 or even 1,500 mg per day. Some people eat as much as 3,500 mg per day.

You can reduce your salt intake by avoiding salted processed foods and canned foods with salt added. Avoid adding table salt to your food, salting meat when you cook it, or salting rice and pasta water.

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Lower your heart attack risk with medications. Which medications your doctor recommends will depend on your particular situation and medical history. If you are at a high risk of having blood clots or high blood pressure, your doctor will probably prescribe medications for those conditions. Medications will not repair a leaky valve, but they can improve conditions that make the leakage worse, like high blood pressure. Possible medications include:

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. These are common blood pressure medications for mild mitral regurgitation.

Anticoagulants such as aspirin, warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) and clopidogrel (Plavix). Blood clots can cause strokes and heart attacks. These medications reduce the probability that you will develop a blood clot.

Diuretics. These medications prevent you from retaining too much water. If poor circulation is causing your legs, ankles and feet to swell, you may be prescribed diuretics. They will also reduce your blood pressure. Diuretics can be used to relieve swelling caused by a tricuspid regurgitation.

Statins. These medications lower cholesterol. High cholesterol is often associated with high blood pressure and it may exacerbate the leakage.

Beta blockers. Beta blockers reduce the rate and force at which your heart beats. This reduces your blood pressure and can reduce the strain on your heart.

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Repair a leaking valve. The standard way to repair a faulty valve is through surgery. If you have a valve repaired, be sure to go to a cardiac surgeon who specializes in valve repair. This will give you the best chances for a successful surgery. Valves can be repaired through:

Annuloplasty. If you have structural problems with the tissue around the valve, it can be reinforced by implanting a ring around the valve.

Surgery on the valve itself or the supporting tissues. If the valve itself has been damaged through infection or injury, it may be necessary to repair the valve itself to stop the leak.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). This is a newer, minimally invasive option for people who are unable to undergo open chest surgery. Instead of removing the faulty valve, a replacement valve is placed inside it via a catheter. The new valve is expanded and begins functioning in place of the old valve.

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Get a new valve if yours can’t be fixed. Aortic and mitral regurgitation are common reasons for valve replacement. The first choice is generally to use as much of your own tissue as possible, but if that isn’t an option, your surgeon may recommend using tissue from a heart donor, an animal, or a metal valve. Metal valves last the longest, but increase your risk of blood clots. If you have a metal valve, you will need to take anticoagulants for the rest of your life. The new valve can be implanted using different techniques:

A transcatheter aortic valve replacement. This method is used for replacing the aortic valve and has the benefit that it is less invasive than open-heart surgery. A catheter is inserted either through an artery in your leg or a cut in your chest and then used to insert the new valve.

Open-heart surgery. Heart valve surgery can prolong the life of your heart tissues and improve your quality of life. Most surgeries are successful and any complications are usually effectively managed (there is a 5% mortality rate). Possible complications include bleeding, a heart attack, an infection, an irregular heartbeat, or a stroke. If you need heart surgery, go to a specialist who is extremely experienced in the procedure you require. Ask your cardiologist for recommendations.