Structural Heart Program
Your heart deserves quality care, and our board certified physicians at the Palm Beach Health Network are specially trained to perform valve procedures to replace or repair the aortic valve.
Our program utilizes a team approach, bringing together a network of experienced physicians from cardiology, endovascular surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and advanced cardiovascular imaging. The team approach ensures patients receive an individualized care plan with many ways to treat heart disease – in the clinic, the catheterization lab or the operating room.
Structural Heart Disease
Your heart has four valves with tissue flaps that open and close with every heartbeat. These flaps act as a roadmap for the heart, guiding blood flow in the right direction through the four chambers of your heart and throughout your body. Structural heart disease refers to conditions that affect your heart's valves, walls, chambers, or muscles. When these problems occurs, our dedicated team of heart specialist are here to help you at the Palm Beach Health Network's Structural Heart Programs.
Types of Structural Heart Disease
The main types of structural heart disease are:
- Heart Valve Disease - A problem with any of the four valves that open and close to control blood flow.
- Cardiomyopathy - A disease involving the heart muscle.
- Congenital Heart Disease - Structural heart problems that you have at birth.
Structural Heart Treatments
The Structural Heart Program encompasses interventional technology as well as the latest in structural heart innovations. The variety of minimally-invasive treatment options gives patients a wide range of personalized choices with the ability to make an educated decision based on their specific diagnosis. Our interventional cardiologists offer innovative structural heart treatments including:
- Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR): A minimally invasive surgical procedure repairs the valve without removing the old, damaged valve. Instead, a replacement valve sits into the aortic valve’s place.
- Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR): A minimally invasive catheter-based procedure may be an option for you if your doctor determines you are a good candidate for TMVR to repair mitral regurgitation. The device is a small clip that is attached to your mitral valve and allows it to close like it should and restore normal blood flow through your heart.
- Left Atrium Appendage Closure: Uses some of the latest device innovative implant devices to reduce your risk of stroke. The Left Atrium Appendage Closure implant is designed to act as a barrier, preventing left atrial appendage blood clots from entering the bloodstream and blocking a blood vessel. With the advancements of implant devices, patients may be able to discontinue their use of long-term blood thinner medications.
Additional structural heart treatments include:
- Atrial Septal Defects (ASD)/Patient Foramen Ovale (PFO) Closure
- Balloon Valvuloplasty
- PVL Closure - Transcatheter Paravalvular Leak Closure
- Right and Left Sided Percutaneous Ventricular Assist Device (VAD)
- TriClip™ Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Repair
Heart Valve Clinic
Your heart deserves quality care, and our board certified physicians at the Palm Beach Health Network are specially trained to perform valve procedures to replace or repair the aortic valve. Our specialized hear team approach speeds up the process of evaluating the problem from weeks or months down to just one day.
Our Valve Clinics enable collaborative care across the Palm Beach Health Network. First, you will receive an evaluation by the cardiovascular surgeon where you’ll review together your prior diagnostic studies. If there is any additional testing required, such as an echocardiogram or CT scan, they will be ordered and completed quickly.
Once all testing has been performed, your doctors will take your individual results of all testing and work together to determine the most effective approach for your care. We promise to work closely with your personal cardiologist to ensure a smooth transition back into their care once your treatment with us is over.
