UVA’s hospital first in Virginia to use new heart valve replacement procedure
ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The University of Virginia's (UVA) Heart & Vascular Center is offering new hope for cardiac patients with a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery. The new heart valve replacement system, called H&V Evoque Tricuspid procedure, is for patients who have a leaky tricuspid valve. UVA Health was part of a five-year clinical trial before the new procedure received FDA approval in February, which means cardiologists had experience with how it works and have successfully performed the procedure five times. "A lot of patients have tricuspid regurgitation and, prior to this, there weren't a lot of solutions or any solutions," said UVA Health interventional cardiologist Dr. John Saxon." For many of them, they were not candidates for surgery because of the recovery and the risk." The tricuspid is one of the four main heart valves designed to open and close as the heart beats and relaxes to make sure blood is going in the right direction. Photo credit: EDWARDS Evoque Tricuspid valve leaking leads to swelling because the blood flow is going backwards. The new procedure works by placing the valve through catheters that come up through the leg veins and up to the heart while it's beating, which helps to reduce or eliminate the leakage completely. The patient recovers overnight and typically is home the next day. Dr. Saxon said that, if a leak happens, it's almost always related to another heart problem. "Particularly atrial fibrillation that can affect other chambers in the heart can cause the heart to dilate or cause the heart to have extra pressure on it," he said. Dr. Saxon also said that candidates have to go through a two-week evaluation process. "We've seen that people feel substantially better after a procedure, and so their quality of life is restored. And that's really what we're here for," said Dr. Saxon. UVA Health is hoping to perform 50 to 60 tricuspid valve therapies yearly.
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The University of Virginia's (UVA) Heart & Vascular Center is offering new hope for cardiac patients with a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery.
The new heart valve replacement system, called H&V Evoque Tricuspid procedure, is for patients who have a leaky tricuspid valve.
UVA Health was part of a five-year clinical trial before the new procedure received FDA approval in February, which means cardiologists had experience with how it works and have successfully performed the procedure five times.
"A lot of patients have tricuspid regurgitation and, prior to this, there weren't a lot of solutions or any solutions," said UVA Health interventional cardiologist Dr. John Saxon." For many of them, they were not candidates for surgery because of the recovery and the risk."
The tricuspid is one of the four main heart valves designed to open and close as the heart beats and relaxes to make sure blood is going in the right direction.
Photo credit: EDWARDS Evoque
Tricuspid valve leaking leads to swelling because the blood flow is going backwards. The new procedure works by placing the valve through catheters that come up through the leg veins and up to the heart while it's beating, which helps to reduce or eliminate the leakage completely. The patient recovers overnight and typically is home the next day.
Dr. Saxon said that, if a leak happens, it's almost always related to another heart problem.
"Particularly atrial fibrillation that can affect other chambers in the heart can cause the heart to dilate or cause the heart to have extra pressure on it," he said.
Dr. Saxon also said that candidates have to go through a two-week evaluation process.
"We've seen that people feel substantially better after a procedure, and so their quality of life is restored. And that's really what we're here for," said Dr. Saxon.
UVA Health is hoping to perform 50 to 60 tricuspid valve therapies yearly.
