York County Medicine Winter 2019 - 8

YO R K C O M E D S O C . O R G

FEATURE:

UPMC Pinnacle
Offers New Option for
Aortic Stenosis Patients
with a Larger Valve Size
HARRISBURG, Pa (Oct. 9, 2019) - A team at UPMC Pinnacle
has performed a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) on
a patient using a new device, the Medtronic Evolut™ Pro + 34 mm,
which was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA).

The patient, Patrick Murray, 80, is recovering well after the
device was implanted to replace his diseased aortic valve. He had
been diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, a common heart problem
caused by a narrowing of the heart's aortic valve due to excessive
calcium deposited on the valve leaflets.

Led by Mubashir Mumtaz, MD, FACS, FACC, chief of
cardiothoracic surgery and surgical director of structural heart, and
Hemal Gada, MD, MBA, medical director of structural heart, the
UPMC Pinnacle team was the first in the world to use the device
following its FDA approval.

The system replaces a diseased aortic heart valve through a
minimally invasive procedure, without open-heart surgery and
without surgical removal of the diseased valve. It is typically inserted
via an artery in the leg and then guided through the arteries into the
heart. Once in place, the device expands and takes over the original
valve's function to enable oxygen-rich blood to flow efficiently out
of the heart.

The larger, new-generation TAVR system builds off the existing
system of self-expanding TAVR options and is designed to treat
severe aortic stenosis patients with a larger base of the aortic root,
called the annulus, specifically those with an annulus diameter
between 26-30 millimeters. Annulus sizes vary among individuals.
"As TAVR continues to be a preferred treatment option for
more patients with severe aortic stenosis, UPMC Pinnacle remains
committed to ensuring our valve technology keeps pace with the
evolution of the therapy," said Dr. Gada. "The larger TAVR system
allows us to offer TAVR to a subset of patients who formerly had
limited treatment options."
8

York County Medicine | WINTER 2019

Severe aortic stenosis occurs when the aortic valve leaflets
become stiff and thickened, and have difficulty opening and closing,
making the heart work harder to pump blood to the rest of the
body and, therefore, impacting an individual's daily activities. If left
untreated, it may lead to heart failure and increased risk for sudden
cardiac death.
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York County Medicine Winter 2019

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