Clinic Among the First in Virginia to Implant New Heart Valve

Carilion MedicalWhen someone has Aortic Stenosis (hardening of the arteries), the aortic valve becomes stiff and limits the amount of blood that can travel through the heart. The valve can be replaced with open heart surgery, but some patients are too sick to undergo a major operation.

The MedTronic CoreValve System can be inserted into an artery (usually through the leg) using a procedure called Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and positioned in the heart where it automatically expands and replaces the damaged valve.

According to Carilion Clinic Cardiologist Jason Foerst, M.D., “this minimally invasive device allows us to treat patients with severe narrowing of their aortic valve who are not able to have open heart surgery. The greatest advantage to our patients when compared to other existing technology is that this valve can be delivered through a much smaller tube. This allows the majority of patients to have the valve delivered through a tiny incision in their leg with no surgery. The average recovery times will be dramatically shorter getting patients back to an improved quality of life almost immediately. We are proud to be the only Structural Heart and Valve Center in Virginia offering the CoreValve to patients with severe aortic stenosis.”

The CoreValve System was developed to serve the needs of the broadest range of patients with severe aortic stenosis. With the broadest size range available, the CoreValve System is suitable for patients with native valves of nearly all sizes. Its self-expanding nitinol frame enables physicians to deliver the device to the diseased valve in a controlled manner, allowing for accurate placement. All valve sizes are delivered via the smallest TAVR delivery system available, making it possible to treat patients with difficult or small vasculature.

“The FDA approval of CoreValve System is important for U.S. heart teams as the CoreValve System will serve the broadest spectrum of aortic stenosis patients who are unable to undergo surgery,” said John Liddicoat, M.D., senior vice president, Medtronic, and president of the Medtronic Structural Heart Business. “By leveraging Medtronic’s history and expertise in bringing therapies to patients, we are supporting heart teams through training and education, imaging and patient evaluation programs that exemplify our safe and deliberate approach to patient access.”

For more information about the Carilion Clinic Structural Heart and Valve Center, visit them on the web at www.carilionclinic.org/heart/valve-replacement-va

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