The aortic valve functions as a one-way valve between the heart and the rest of the body. Blood is pumped from the left ventricle of the heart, through the valve, and down. It opens to allow blood to flow into the aorta and then closes to prevent blood from flowing back into the heart.
Aortic stenosis is a narrowing or blockage of the aortic valve that happens when the valve leaflets become coated with deposits. The deposits change the shape of the leaflets and reduce blood flow through the valve. The left ventricle has to work harder to make up for the reduced blood flow. The aortic valve regulates the blood flow from the heart's lower-left chamber (the left ventricle) into the aorta. The aorta is the main vessel that supplies blood to the rest of the body. Two diseases of the aortic valve are regurgitation and stenosis. Aortic regurgitation. Aortic regurgitation is also called aortic insufficiency or aortic incompetence. It is a condition in which blood flows backward from a widened or weakened aortic valve into the heart's lower chamber (the left ventricle) A leaking aortic valve means that when your hears pumps blood through the valve, that the valve does not close of properly when it should. This causes your heart to have to wo … rk harder because some of the blood it pumps leaks back into the heart and needs to be pumped out again. Between heart  contractions, the valve closes, preventing blood from flowing  backwards into the heart. The function of the aortic valve is then  twofold: (1) It provides a route for which blood can leave the  heart, and (2) It prevents blood that has already left the heart  from leaking At the same time, the aortic valve opens to allow blood to flow from the left ventricle into the aorta. The aorta carries oxygen-rich blood to the body. As the ventricles relax, the pulmonary and aortic valves shut tightly. This prevents blood from flowing back into the ventricles.  During ventricular systole, pressure rises in the left ventricle. When the pressure in the left ventricle rises above the pressure in the aorta, the aortic valve opens, allowing blood to exit the left ventricle into the aorta. When ventricular systole ends, pressure in the left ventricle rapidly drops. When the pressure in the left ventricle decreases, the aortic pressure forces the aortic valve to close. The closure of the aortic valve contributes the A 2 component of the second heart sound (S 2). The aortic valve functions as a one-way valve between the heart and  the rest of the body. Blood is pumped from the left ventricle of  the heart, through the valve, and down … the aorta, which in turn  supplies blood to all of the organs in the body. Between heart  contractions, the valve closes, preventing blood from flowing  backwards into the heart. The function of the aortic valve is then  twofold: (1) It provides a route for which blood can leave the  heart, and (2) It prevents blood that has already left the heart  from leaking There are four valves in your heart including the mitral, tricuspid, aortic and pulmonic valves. The aortic valve is located between the left ventricle (lower heart pumping chamber) and the aorta, which is the largest artery in the body. Valves maintain one-way blood flow through the heart. 1  Click here to learn more about the heart valves. Aortic valve disease occurs when the aortic valve does not work correctly. This can be caused by: 1  Aortic valve stenosis: These stiff, fused, thickened, inflexible valve leaflets lead to the narrowing of the aortic valve, that limits the blood flow. The aortic valve opens to allow blood to flow into the aorta and then closes to prevent blood from flowing back into the heart. This animation shows the aortic valve in action.  The aortic valve is one of the two semilunar valves of the heart, the other being the pulmonary valve. The heart has four valves and the other two are the mitral and the tricuspid valves. When the pressure in the left ventricle decreases, the aortic pressure forces the aortic valve to close. The closure of the aortic valve contributes the A 2 component of the second heart sound (S 2). All rights reserved. The aorta is the largest artery in the body. The aorta begins at the top of the left ventricle, the heart's muscular pumping chamber. The heart pumps blood from the left ventricle into the aorta through the aortic valve. Three leaflets on the aortic valve open and close with each heartbeat to allow one-way flow of blood. The aorta is a tube about a foot long and just over an inch in diameter. The aorta is divided into four sections: 
http://www.texasheart.org/HIC/Topics/Cond/vaortic.cfm http://www.answers.com/Q/What_does_the_aortic_valve_do http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hvd/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aortic_valve http://www.answers.com/Q/What_does_the_aortic_valve_do http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/heart/services/valve-treatment/aortic-valve-surgery https://www.sharecare.com/health/circulatory-system-health/what-does-aortic-valve-do https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aortic_valve http://www.webmd.com/heart/picture-of-the-aorta
what does the aortic valve do