100th Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Procedure Performed at Riverside
March 13, 2023“We are incredibly proud of our team for achieving this milestone,” said Kyle Benoit, Riverside Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “The Riverside Heart & Vascular team, led by Dr. Vikas Patel, has worked hard to bring this innovative and patient-centered care to our community so patients no longer need to travel out of the area for their heart care needs.”
Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the heart’s aortic valve that obstructs blood flow to the heart and the rest of the body. Patients suffering from severe aortic stenosis have symptoms such as difficulty breathing, fainting, heart failure and chest pain.
TAVR revolutionized aortic valve replacement because it is minimally invasive, has few complications, and patients recover quickly, often resuming previous activity levels.
The minimally invasive TAVR procedure is performed in Riverside’s state-of-the-art interventional suites. The procedure involves guiding a catheter through the patient’s artery to replace the diseased valve in the heart.
The Riverside Structural Heart team includes interventional cardiologists Dr. Patel and Dr. Nathan Frogge, along with cardiac surgeon Dr. Philip Alexander and their support team.
“TAVR combines aspects of cardiology and cardiac surgery,” said Dr. Patel, an interventional cardiologist at Riverside. “The close collaboration of the Structural Heart team allows for excellent outcomes for our patients. Bringing TAVR to the area allows us to provide patients with severe aortic stenosis the best treatment option available to them without going far from home.”
Patients who undergo TAVR have an average hospital stay of one to two nights and are discharged home with very few restrictions.
For more information about the Riverside Heart & Vascular Institute, visit riversidehealthcare.org/heart