FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – The Parkview Heart Institute recently hit a major milestone, completing its 1,000th Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure, according to representatives.
With the advancement of technology, Parkview says it has been able to offer the minimally invasive procedure since August 2013, allowing for major relief of daily symptoms and restoring patients to more normal heart function.
Parkview released the following:
“TAVR allows you the opportunity to be more functional,” said Dr. Roy Robertson, president of the Parkview Heart Institute and specialty service lines. “The more you can do, the better you’re going to do and the longer you’re going to live. You can promote your own health, be more active and live longer.”
TAVR is a valve replacement procedure for patients with a damaged aortic valve, the final valve in the heart that oxygenated blood flows through before circulating through the rest of the body. Patients who have a defective valve, or older patients with a worn valve that is not functioning efficiently, may experience shortness of breath, chest pain and fatigue, which can prevent them from normal activities such as walking (sometimes even short distances), climbing stairs or doing household activities.
With TAVR, surgeons install a new tissue-based valve via a catheter inserted through a major artery, typically in the leg. The new valve is maneuvered into the heart, where it is installed within the existing valve. TAVR is minimally invasive – patients do not need full anesthesia, only require a small wound for the catheter insertion and generally can be up and walking around within hours after the procedure – as compared to the impact and recovery time for traditional open-heart surgery.
When first introduced, TAVR was reserved only for patients who were not healthy enough for surgery. But over time, advances in technology have made the procedure available to many more patients outside of the high-risk category. Patients who are good candidates for TAVR (as opposed to surgical installation of a metal valve) are those who suffer active symptoms from valve degradation and who have anatomical conditions that support use of a tissue-based valve, which generally lasts 10-20 years.
Robertson stressed the importance of having established care with a physician and encouraged patients to communicate issues they’re having with their primary care provider. That relationship helps jump start the investigation that can reveal whether the patient’s symptoms, especially in older age, may have a cardiac connection. Valve issues can often be identified by listening via stethoscope, allowing for follow-up testing and imaging to pinpoint the problem and develop the best plan of action.
The Parkview Heart Institute takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating structural heart disease, utilizing a team of physicians and nurses who work together as a unit to form and execute the best plan of care for patients. That team-based approach puts many eyes on every patient, which helps to avoid complications and allows them to provide the highest quality of care.
TAVR has allowed more than 1,000 patients at the Parkview Heart Institute to reclaim greater functioning, and providers remain committed to not just extending life but improving the quality of life for their patients.
“We’re able to take patients who have real challenges in their life that inhibit them from progressing in their health and offer them opportunities,” Robertson said. “Offering an opportunity to get patients back so they’re more functional is key.”
For more information about TAVR, click here.
Comments