HCA Florida Capital Hospital, a part of HCA Florida Healthcare, recently performed its first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR.)
TAVR has become the first-line therapy for patients with aortic stenosis, a condition that occurs when the valve, which controls blood flow between the heart and the rest of the body, thickens and calcifies. As the valve progressively narrows, the heart works harder to push the blood through an increasingly smaller opening causing pressure to build up in the heart and lungs. This causes the patient to experience shortness of breath. If left untreated, this condition can lead to heart failure.
An alternative to open-heart surgery, TAVR is a minimally-invasive valve repair procedure that has shifted from being performed in an operating room to a catheterization lab, dramatically reducing procedural time, mortality risk, and recovery time. TAVR is beneficial for patients deemed high-risk for conventional heart surgery or who are more likely to have higher mortality. Patients recover quicker and, on average, go home after one to two days in the hospital.
Dr. Sotiris Stamou, cardiothoracic surgeon and medical director of structural heart program and Dr. Niraj Pandit, interventional cardiologist and performed the procedure in tandem. They say, “Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a way for us to provide life-saving treatment for those patients that are not able to undergo traditional surgical aortic valve replacement. TAVR is available not only for those unsuitable for open-surgical procedures but also for those who seek a less invasive choice without compromising durability or longevity. We are so proud to be able to meet the needs of the community and offer this service as part of the structural heart service line at HCA Florida Capital Hospital.”
The structural heart team at HCA Florida Capital Hospital provides comprehensive heart and vascular care, including the diagnosis, intervention and advanced treatment of a wide range of conditions, including heart attack, peripheral artery disease, deep vein thrombosis, heart rhythm disorders and aortic stenosis.
