SA国际传媒

Choosing your treatment

Our team considers multiple factors when recommending treatment:

• Age and overall health
• Valve disease severity
• Anatomy and technical factors
• Other medical conditions
• Patient preferences and goals

Listen to Dr. Joseph Newton discuss Sentara’s team approach to heart valve disease

Transcatheter treatments available at SA国际传媒Heart Valve Center:

Our center is a national leader in transcatheter treatments, also known as minimally invasive procedures, for heart valve treatment. Our SA国际传媒heart experts prefer minimally invasive procedures using surgical and catheter-based procedures to treat heart valve conditions as our first choice when possible. Minimally invasive heart surgery is performed using one or more small chest incisions or a catheter inserted into a larger artery, such as the femoral artery in your groin.

There are risks with any type of procedure, but minimally invasive heart valve procedures can benefit the patient by offering:

• A shorter recovery
• Reduced complications 
• Shorter hospital stays
• Less visible scarring

TAVR (Transcatheter aortic valve replacement)

The SA国际传媒Heart Valve Center was one of the first places in the country to perform this procedure and has led the nation in TAVR research over the last 15 years. We perform a high volume of these procedures each year, earning us a reputation as a destination medical center. This life-changing procedure can be a better option over traditional open-heart surgery for some patients due to faster recovery times.

• Often allows discharge within 24-48 hours
• Excellent option for many patients with aortic stenosis
• Available through multiple minimally invasive approaches

Mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (MitraClip™)

• Over 150 procedures performed annually
• Treats severe mitral regurgitation
• Often dramatic symptom improvement
• Typically one-night hospital stay

Additional transcatheter options

• Tricuspid transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TriClip™)
• Transcatheter mitral valve replacement
• Balloon mitral valvuloplasty
• Pulmonic valve replacements and congenital heart catheter-based treatments
• Redo valve replacements (“Valve-in-Valve” TAVR and redo TAVR)
• Advanced adjuvant procedures (leaflet modification, surgical valve fracture, concomitant complex coronary stent procedures, concomitant mechanical support)
• PFO and ASD closure
• Watchman™ device
• Alcohol septal ablation and 
• Clinical trials with the latest transcatheter devices

Surgical valve procedures

For many patients, especially younger individuals and those with complex conditions, traditional surgery remains the best option:

Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR)

• Gold standard for younger patients
• Excellent long-term durability
• Options for mechanical or tissue valves
• Can be combined with other needed procedures (coronary artery bypass surgery and aortic aneurysm repair)

Mitral valve surgery

• Repair preferred when possible
• Excellent long-term outcomes
• Both minimally invasive and traditional approaches
• Complex reconstruction capabilities