Gateway Reporter

Southside college of health sciences issued the following announcement on Feb 8.

A huge congratulations to our Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center’s structural heart team for reaching two major program milestones! Not only did this team perform the facility’s 100th Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure, they also performed their first MitraClip™ procedure.

This multidisciplinary team of both cardiac surgeons and cardiologists being able to perform both of these therapies means patients suffering from aortic stenosis or mitral regurgitation are able to receive quality cardiac care right here in Hanover County.

The First MitraClip Procedure at MRMC

MitraClip™ is a treatment option for many patients suffering from mitral regurgitation (MR), a defective valve condition in which the leaflets of the mitral valve do not close properly, causing blood to flow backward into the left atrium of the heart. MR patients experience fatigue and shortness of breath because the left ventricle of the heart must pump harder to keep blood flowing through the body. This strain leads to heart complications. If left untreated, MR can become severe, causing heart failure or arrhythmia.

When traditional open-heart surgery to replace or repair the mitral valve is not an option, due to either the patient’s age or another health concern, MitraClip™ presents a minimally invasive option with many added benefits, including a shorter rehabilitation periods of two days instead of two months.

During the procedure, which is performed in the cardiac cath lab, a catheter with the MitraClip™ is inserted into the femoral vein, steered to the heart by procedural imaging and then is implanted into the mitral valve. Patients with MitraClip™ valve repairs report that they can resume and enjoy normal activities, such as walking, golfing and raking leaves, following a short post-procedure recovery time.

The first MitraClip procedure was performed on Dec. 8, 2021 at Memorial Regional Medical Center, led by interventional cardiologist Sohail Chaudhry, MD.

The 100th TAVR Procedure at MRMC

Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center performed its first TAVR procedure in August of 2020. A little more than a year, and during a global pandemic, the team performed their 100th procedure on Dec. 15, 2021.

Minimally Invasive Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive method of treating valve disease without open-heart surgery. Instead of making a large incision in the chest, the medical team inserts a catheter into one of the patient’s leg arteries, which serves as a conduit to deliver the new valve. The new valve is crimped very tightly on a balloon, advanced through a catheter to the diseased valve and put in place with balloon inflation. Upon deflation and removal of the balloon, the new valve is immediately functional. In fact, most patients experience instant clinical benefits.

All patients suffering from aortic stenosis may be potential candidates for this procedure. Our team performs this procedure, which typically takes approximately 60 minutes under local anesthesia, in a newly renovated, state-of-the-art cardiac cath lab. TAVR carries a very low risk of complications and patients are often ready for discharge within 24 hours.

The 100th TAVR procedure at Memorial Regional Medical Center performed on Dec. 15, 2021 was a multidisciplinary team effort including interventional cardiologist Sohail Chaudhry, MD, interventional cardiologist Sameer Rohatgi, MD, and cardiovascular surgeon Brody Wehman, MD.

Original source can be found here.