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As part of the growing full-service cardiac program available at Capital Health’s Heart and Vascular Institute, physicians and staff from the Institute’s Structural Heart Program recently performed their first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey.
TAVR is a minimally invasive treatment option for patients with severe aortic stenosis (narrowing of the aortic valve opening) or those with a failing surgical aortic valve who are at elevated risk for complications during open surgery.
Dr. David Drucker, medical director of Capital Health’s Structural Heart Program, leads a team of experts to perform procedures like TAVR to manage and treat heart valve conditions and other structural issues of the heart. When severe aortic stenosis occurs, the heart valve does not open and close properly.
As a result, the heart needs to work harder to pump blood to the rest of the body, which in turn can limit your daily activity. With TAVR, an artificial valve is delivered to the heart through a thin, flexible tube (catheter) that is inserted into one of several possible access routes and placed into the diseased valve.
The procedure typically takes one hour or less to complete. Patients usually begin walking the same day and are typically discharged within one or two days.
To make an appointment at Capital Health Cardiology Specialists or to find an office in Bucks County, visit capitalhealthcardiology.org.
PHOTO CAP: David Drucker, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Medical Director, Capital Health Structural Heart Program