Mount Carmel Successfully Performs Groundbreaking New Cardiovascular Procedure
Procedures Are First in Central Ohio Using Newly FDA-Approved Approach
Columbus - Mount Carmel Health System has successfully performed the first procedures in central Ohio using a newly-approved approach to replacing the aortic valve with a first-of-its-kind artificial heart valve in high-risk patients.
The procedure, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), gives patients a chance at valve replacement using catheters and stents rather than open-heart surgery. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved TAVR to be performed through the ribs (transapically) earlier this month. Previously, the procedure was only approved to be performed via the leg (transfemorally).
Physicians at Mount Carmel East successfully performed the first transapically TAVR procedure done in central Ohio, treating two patients Tuesday. Both patients are in stable condition and should be released Friday.
“The use of catheters and stents as opposed to open-heart surgery is less invasive and the opportunity to perform this procedure both via the leg and through the ribs ultimately gives Mount Carmel a greater ability to treat valvular heart disease and improve the lives of more patients,” said Tom Salamon, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Mount Carmel.
Mount Carmel is one of only seven programs in Ohio and 200 nationally offering the procedure. Physicians at Mount Carmel East have successfully completed cases transfemorally since August, and now transapically.
“Mount Carmel is committed to improving the health of our communities in central Ohio. Offering cutting edge technology, like TAVR, is just the latest example of Mount Carmel’s dedication to deliver high-quality healthcare to the patients and populations we serve,” said Richard Streck, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Mount Carmel.
As many as 250,000 Americans have severe aortic valve stenosis. Until recently, open-heart surgery was their only option, and only two-thirds of those patients could undergo the procedure. The FDA’s approval of TAVR helped change that by allowing the use of catheters and stents on previously inoperable patients.
| 
