Structural Heart & Valve Center

Our heart and vascular specialists offer the latest treatments for valve disease, including minimally invasive options.

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Optimal Care for Heart Valve Disease

Until recently, people with aortic stenosis or mitral valve disease — conditions that affect the valves in the heart — had a single option for treatment: open-heart surgery.

At the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth, we offer more treatment options, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and minimally invasive mitral valve repair and replacement.

A Team Approach for Heart Valve Treatment

The Structural Heart and Valve Center brings the expertise of cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, interventional radiologists (imaging specialists) and anesthesiologists to plan the best treatment for your condition. Surgeons and cardiologists review the results of your diagnostic exams to determine which therapies offer you the best results.

Talk to a Nurse Navigator

In addition, your team may include a:

  • Nurse navigator – Your nurse navigator helps coordinate your care and assist you as you go through treatment and recovery — everything from scheduling appointments to educating you about your condition.

  • Nurse practitioner – You’ll see your nurse practitioner, along with other team members, at your Structural Heart and Valve Center appointments. Your nurse practitioner is there to answer questions and offer advice for a healthy recovery.

Advanced Treatments for Heart Valve Disease

The Structural Heart and Valve Center provides expert treatment for valve disease. Cardiologists and surgeons work together to determine the best treatment — whether it’s open heart surgery or a minimally invasive procedure.

We offer minimally invasive procedures such as:

  • Minimally invasive mitral valve repair or replacement – With just a one-and-a-half-inch incision on the right side of the chest, our mitral valve experts can enter the heart and repair or replace a mitral valve that isn’t working properly.
  • Mitra-Clip™ – For patients who are not candidates for surgery, this device clamps together the two leaflets of the mitral valve to reduce leakage.
  • Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) – A cardiac catheterization procedure that treats aortic stenosis. For those who qualify, TAVR offers a treatment for people who can’t have open surgery, or for whom surgery presents moderate risk.

  • Valvuloplasty – Improves blood flow in the heart by opening the aortic, mitral or pulmonary valves with a tiny balloon (similar to angioplasty).

If your condition can’t be treated with a minimally invasive procedure, our surgeons can perform traditional open-heart surgery to repair or replace aortic and mitral valves. Our specialists will discuss which treatments can offer you the best results. We’ll design a treatment plan that meets your needs.

Susan Stahl

As Susan Stahl woke up from hernia repair surgery last February – just before the coronavirus escalated – she had a strange feeling. And it wasn’t just her anesthesia wearing off.

“I felt like I had a big cement block on my chest,” remembers Susan. “It really hurt.”

Unparalleled Heart Care

St. Elizabeth Edgewood has attained advanced certification by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association as a Comprehensive Cardiac Center, placing us in an elite group of hospitals that have met high standards to fully address the needs of patients with complex cardiac conditions.

The Joint Commission and American Heart Association Certification - Meets Standards for Comprehensive Cardiac Center