A 45-year-old female is admitted to the hospital with swelling (edema) of the lower limbs. Ultrasound examination reveals an incompetent tricuspid valve. Into which area will regurgitation of blood occur in this patient?

The tricuspid valve is the atrioventricular valve located between the right atrium and right ventricle. An incompetent valve would allow blood to regurgitate into the right atrium during systole and subsequently raise pressure in the venous system, increasing capillary pressure and causing edema. A regurgitation of blood into the pulmonary trunk would be a result of an incompetent pulmonary valve. Regurgitation of blood from the left ventricle back into the left atrium is a result of prolapse of the mitral valve. There is no direct anatomic relationship between the tricuspid valve and the ascending aorta. Blood would pool in the left ventricle in the event of aortic valve incompetence.