Meriter – UnityPoint Health Offers TAVR Procedure
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 2014
Contact:
Leah Huibregtse
Sr. Communications Strategist, Meriter–UnityPoint Health
work: (608) 417-5685; cell (608) 516-2256
Minimally invasive procedure replaces aortic valve
(MADISON, Wis.) –– Meriter – UnityPoint Health has successfully begun performing TAVR procedures, a revolutionary option for heart patients previously identified as inoperable or high risk for traditional surgery.
“This is an opportunity for us to give hope and a new outlook on life to patients who, not long ago, had no real viable options,” said Dr. Richard Lee, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Meriter Hospital. “At Meriter, we’re always looking for new, innovative ways to help patients live longer, healthier lives. This is one more way we can do that.”
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive procedure where access is made percutaneously through the groin or through a small incision in the left chest, and a small catheter is placed inside the heart to replace a tight heart valve, usually caused by a condition known as aortic stenosis.
Patients with severe aortic stenosis have a survival rate as low as 50 percent within two years of diagnosis without a heart valve replacement. TAVR is an option for patients who are too high risk for open heart surgery and medicine is not effective at treating their condition.
