Trust your heart to our experts

Innovative, minimally-invasive treatments to help your heart beat at its best

When most people think about heart problems, the first thing that usually comes to mind is heart attack. That has to do with blood vessels on the outside of the heart. But serious problems can also happen other places in the heart, such as:

• The heart muscle itself
• The layer of tissue that covers the heart
• The walls inside the heart, which separate the heart’s four chambers
• The four valves inside the heart that help blood move from one part of the heart to the other
• Other parts inside the heart

Heart conditions in these areas of the heart are known as structural heart disease. Examples of these types of conditions include aortic valve stenosis, mitral valve disease and non-valvular Afib causing clots to form in the left atrial appendage.

How is structural heart disease treated?

In the past, structural heart disease was usually treated with open-heart surgery. But the structural heart disease program at Adventist Health Glendale uses a newer, more advanced way called catheter-based procedures. Not every patient can be treated in this way, but most can.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive procedure to replace the aortic valve.

What is aortic stenosis?

One of the most common and serious valve diseases, aortic stenosis (AS) is a stiffening of the valve regulating blood flow from your heart’s left ventricle to the aorta, where blood leaves the heart to go to the rest of the body. With aortic stenosis, the stiff and narrowed aortic valve keeps the heart from pumping blood effectively to the rest of the body. For many people, this results in feeling tired, short of breath doing minor activities and other symptoms that can frequently be attributed to aging but are actually due to aortic stenosis. At its most serious, aortic stenosis can lead to heart failure and other serious problems.

How does TAVR help?

With TAVR, your diseased heart valve is replaced by a new valve. Most TAVR patients should start feeling better right away. This is because the heart valve is now working properly. After a TAVR procedure, patients experience improved quality of life, less pain and anxiety and renewed enjoyment of everyday life thanks to normal breathing and more energy.

A minimally invasive approach to fixing mitral valve regurgitation

MitraClip™, also known as Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair (TMVR), is a minimally invasive procedure to repair the mitral valve.

What is mitral regurgitation?

The mitral valve is located between your heart’s two left chambers, the atrium and ventricle. The mitral valve has two flaps of tissue, called leaflets, that open and close to ensure that blood flows in only one direction. When the mitral valve fails to close completely, blood leaks backward inside your heart. This leakage is called mitral regurgitation, often called a leaky valve or heart murmur. In some cases, people with mitral regurgitation may never experience symptoms of heart failure. But over time, heart failure can worsen when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to keep up with the body’s needs.

How does MitraClip™ help?

MitraClip™ therapy is a treatment to repair your leaking mitral valve using an implanted clip. During this minimally-invasive procedure, the small implanted clip is attached to your mitral valve to help it close more completely. This helps to restore normal blood flow through your heart. Most patients experience improvement in their leaky valve-related symptoms and quality of life soon after the procedure. Patients who were studied 5 years after the MitraClip™ procedure continued to experience improvement in their heart function, quality of life, and ability to perform day-to-day tasks. Studies have shown that compared to using medication alone, MitraClip™ leads to fewer deaths, reduction in heart failure hospitalization, and a large improvement in quality of life.

Managing stroke risk for those with atrial fibrillation

WATCHMAN is a one-time, minimally invasive procedure for people with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (Afib) who need an alternative to blood thinners.

What is non-valvular Afib and why does it cause strokes?

Non-valvular atrial fibrillation (Afib) is an irregular heart rhythm not caused by an issue with your heart’s valves. Afib affects how your heart pumps blood, which can cause blood to pool in an area called the left atrial appendage, or LAA. A clot can form in the LAA which could travel to another part of the body, causing a stroke. Individuals with non-valvular Afib are often prescribed blood thinners to reduce the risk of clots that could lead to a stroke. Blood thinners are effective but can come with challenges and potential bleeding worries.

How does WATCHMAN help?

For those with non-valvular Afib, more than 90 percent of stroke-causing clots are formed in the LAA. The WATCHMAN implant fits right into your LAA, permanently closing it off and keeping blood clots from forming. That means a lower stroke risk and no need to continue taking blood thinners for more than 96 percent of patients.