Structural Heart Team Achieves Milestone
The Structural Heart Team at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center marked a significant milestone; performing its 200th TAVR procedure. TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) is a minimally invasive heart procedure to replace a narrowed aortic valve.
TAVR is a way to treat the narrowing or restriction of a blood valve that reduces blood flow without having to perform open heart surgery on a patient. For most people, it is performed by using a catheter to insert a new valve through a large artery in the leg. In most cases, the patient is discharged the following day.
“This is a significant milestone for our Structural Heart Team,” said Dr. Joseph Walsh, Saint Alphonsus Interventional Cardiologist. “TAVR has transformed the way we treat heart valve disorders and is now the gold standard for treating severe aortic stenosis. This milestone is a big deal because we know hospitals that do more of these procedures have the best outcomes. We are now one of the highest volume centers in Idaho and able to offer our patients the full breadth of minimally invasive transcatheter procedures.”
The Structural Heart Team at Saint Alphonsus consists of: Dr. Jeffrey Heslop and Dr. Joseph Walsh, Cardiology Interventionalists. Dr. Stephen Jones and Dr. Benedict Taylor, Cardiothoracic Surgeons, as well as Dr. Matthew Nelson, Board Certified Imaging Cardiologist. This is a multidisciplinary team that requires review by several specialists and supporting members to provide a patient-centered experience.
“We want to ensure we offer the best quality outcomes and minimize the time spent in the hospital. Most patients can get out of bed four hours after the procedure. To see the patient who is suffering from heart failure caused by a narrowed aortic valve improve in such a dramatic way is very gratifying,” said Dr. Heslop.
Members of the Saint Alphonsus Structural Heart Team -- Dr. Joseph Walsh (right), Dr. Jeffrey Heslop (second from right) and Dr. Stephen Jones (second from left) perform the 200th TAVR procedure at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
The Saint Alphonsus Structural Heart Team (from left): Dr. Matthew Nelson, Dr. Stephen Jones, Dr. Jeffrey Heslop and Dr. Joseph Walsh