Structural Heart
Structural heart is a term for a sub-specialty of cardiology that focuses on caring for the structures of your heart, including your valves, chambers or walls. Defects can be congenital or developed over time. Many structural heart procedures are minimally invasive, performed by an interventional cardiologist in a cardiac catheterization lab. Sometimes heart defects require a cardiothoracic surgeon to help repair them.
Left Atrial Appendage Closure
The left atrial appendage is a small, ear-shaped sac in the muscle wall of the heart. In a normal heart, the blood in the left atrial appendage is pumped out with every heartbeat. In a patient with AF, the electrical impulses that control the heartbeat do not travel through the heart in an orderly fashion, and they do not give the atria time to effectively squeeze the blood, causing it to pool in the left atrial appendage. If those blood clots enter the blood stream, they can cause a stroke.
Left atrial appendage closure is a treatment strategy to reduce the risk of blood clots entering the blood stream and causing a stroke in certain patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Common treatment is prescription blood thinners, but some patients do not tolerate blood thinners well, or cannot take them due to other health factors.
For some patients, a procedure to close off the left atrial appendage may be a good alternative to blood-thinning medications, while reducing the risk for a stroke. The doctor implants a small, parachute shaped device that closes off the left atrial appendage to prevent clots from escaping. The procedure is minimally invasive and is done in the catheterization lab.
Patent Foramen Ovale Closure
A patent foramen ovale, or PFO, is a small hole between the left and right upper chambers of the heart. Many people have a PFO and never have any symptoms, but in rare cases, it can cause a stroke. While not everyone with a PFO needs to have it closed, some patients may benefit from having it closed. During the procedure, which is performed in the cath lab, a small device is deployed through a catheter that plugs the hole.
Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair
Transcatheter mitral valve repair, or TMVR, is a minimally invasive procedure to repair a leaky heart valve, often used for patients who are not candidates for traditional valve surgery. When the mitral valve does not close completely, it causes blood to be pushed backwards into your heart. That blood is then pushed to your lungs, causing fluid build-up and shortness of breath. While a valve repair or replacement during open heart surgery is an option for many patients, some patients who are too sick, or considered too high risk for surgery, may see symptom relief from a TMVR procedure.