Heart Valve Centers

heart valve centers

Structural heart and valve disease affects the valves that regulate blood flow within the heart. Patients with heart valve disease may experience a variety of symptoms:

  • shortness of breath
  • chest pain
  • rapid or the feeling of an irregular heartbeat
  • dizziness or lightheadedness
  • fainting
  • swollen ankles or feet
  • fatigue
  • rapid weight gain

Some structural heart and valve conditions are present from birth (congenital), and others are the result of heart diseases or illnesses that occur throughout a person’s lifetime. Many of these abnormalities ultimately result in congestive heart failure (CHF).

Listen as Dr. J Patel talks more about heart valve disease.

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BayCare HealthChat

Heart Valve Disease
April 28, 2021

Interventional cardiologist Dr. Jayendrakumar Patel discusses heart valve disease including signs, symptoms and when to see a cardiologist.Learn more about BayCare's heart valve centers

You may be thinking about delaying your heart care due to COVID-19. Rest assured, as a heart care and health care leader, we’ve put enhanced safety measures in place to help protect you throughout all our facilities.

Our compassionate multidisciplinary Structural Heart team has the experience and expertise needed to treat these complex valve conditions. Each patient referred to our Structural Heart and Valve programs as a potential candidate, is thoroughly evaluated by our multidisciplinary team. The team consists of heart specialists including cardiovascular surgeons, cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists and other cardiac care specialists to treat patients with a variety of heart valve disorders:

  • Aortic Valve Stenosis

    Also called aortic valve stenosis, it’s a common problem where the aortic valve of the heart can become thickened, meaning that it’s too narrow and doesn't open very well. This causes blood flow from the heart into the rest of the body to be obstructed, forcing the heart to work overtime to pump sufficient blood.

  • Aortic or Mitral Valve Regurgitation

    Aortic or mitral valve regurgitation  occurs when a heart valve doesn’t close tightly, allowing blood to leak or flow backwards (or in reverse) of the proper direction.

  • Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

    Pulmonary valve stenosis is a heart condition affecting the pulmonary heart valve, which controls the flow of blood out of the heart to the lungs. In this condition, the pulmonary valve is thickened or doesn’t open fully, usually because of a congenital deformity that develops before birth.

  • Tricuspid Valve Disease

    Tricuspid valve disease refers to several conditions that affect the tricuspid heart valve located between the two right chambers of the heart, the right atrium (upper chamber) and the right ventricle. Tricuspid regurgitation occurs when the valve doesn’t close tightly, and blood can flow backwards through the valve. Tricuspid stenosis can occur when the valve doesn’t open well limiting the flow of blood through it. Tricuspid atresia is a congenital condition where a solid sheet of tissue blocks the flow of blow through the valve.

Our teams at these three facilities across West Central Florida work together to share expertise, knowledge and experience, giving every patient access to the highest quality heart care. Collaboration across our teams results in evidence-based approaches that produce superior clinical outcomes for our patients. This approach ensures patient-centered care that includes a comprehensive evaluation of the patient’s individual case, and results in a thorough review by a team of specialists to build a collaborative treatment plan.

acc as transcatheter valve center certified seal

BayCare’s Morton Plant Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital Structural Heart and Valve programs hold the Transcatheter Valve Certification from American College of Cardiology (ACC). This certification uses an external review process that pairs with established national clinical databases to monitor patient safety and real-world outcomes for transcatheter valve therapies. Hospitals that achieve Transcatheter Valve Certification use best practices for implementing evidence-based medicine to support patient-centered decision-making and track key performance metrics to better identify opportunities for improvement.

BayCare’s structural heart and valve programs are leaders in the field providing innovative heart care to patients throughout West Central Florida. Our programs offer advanced, state-of-the-art treatment options including:

  • Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

    TAVR minimally invasive procedure is used to treat aortic stenosis. TAVR procedure enables the placement of an expandable aortic heart valve into the body through the leg or chest by a catheter-based delivery system.

  • Surgical Aortic Valve Repair and Replacement

    The aortic valve can be replaced or repaired through traditional open-heart surgery or minimally invasive approaches. Through the traditional surgical approach, surgeons physically repair or replace the valve using either a mechanical valve or another prosthetic valve.

  • Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair (TEVAR)

    TEVAR is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat aortic aneurysms found in the chest. During this procedure, your cardiovascular or vascular surgeon inserts a catheter into your artery through a small incision in the groin and places a stent inside the aorta to prevent blood from pooling against the weakened area.

  • Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR)

    EVAR is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat aortic aneurysms in the abdominal area. During this procedure, a vascular surgeon uses a catheter to access the abdominal aortic aneurysm and place an expandable stent graft. The graft’s wire frame will be placed tightly so that blood will not enter the aneurysm.

  • Surgical Treatment for Thoracic and Abdominal Aortic Disease Including Aneurysms and Dissections

    Aortic aneurysms occur when part of the blood vessel weakens and starts to bulge and aortic dissection happens when there is a tear in the wall of the aorta. Both conditions can cause life-threatening bleeding. The type of surgery recommended all depends on the patient’s condition and location of the aneurysm. Most patients have open-heart surgery, but your doctor may determine you are a candidate for less invasive repair such as endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).

  • Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair (TEER  or transcatheter edge to edge repair known as MitraClip Therapy)

    A minimally invasive treatment option for people with degenerative mitral valve regurgitation where a catheter is used to implant a clip, called a MitraClip, in the center of the mitral heart valve to restore the proper flow of blood through the heart.

  • Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR)

    TMVR is a minimally invasive treatment option for mitral valve regurgitation in which a new prosthetic valve replaces a person’s own heart valve without open-heart surgery.

  • Open Surgical and Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Repair and Replacement
    Tricuspid valve repair is generally recommended whereby a surgeon may reshape the valve or utilize a small balloon to open it for better blood flow. Some valves are unable to be repaired and will need to be replaced with either a mechanical valve or a tissue valve. Tricuspid valve repair and replacements may be done through traditional open-heart surgery or a minimally invasive valve-in-valve procedure.

 

Learn more about the heart valve and other structural heart services and care we offer patients at our three programs. No matter where you live in the communities we serve, there’s a specialized structural heart and valve program near you.

photo of hospital exterior

Center for Advanced Valve and Structural Heart Care at Morton Plant Hospital

Clearwater, FL

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St. Joseph’s Hospital Structural Heart Valve Program

St. Joseph’s Hospital Structural Heart and Valve Program

Tampa, FL

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Winter Haven Hospital

Structural Heart and Valve Program at Winter Haven Hospital 

Winter Haven, FL

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