Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - CH - 19

19

Heart
to Heart

So it's important to be aware of the signs
and symptoms of heart valve disease, which
can include chest pain, heart palpitations,
shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness,
lightheadedness, loss of consciousness, and
swollen ankles, feet or abdomen, according
to the American Heart Association.
It's also important to note that some people don't experience any symptoms.
"The warning signs of having heart valve
disease can be subtle," Nkomo says. "A person can have a severe form of valve disease
without knowing that they have it."

Diagnosis and Treatment

PHOTO BY TAYLOR HILL/GETTY

Diagnosing heart valve disease usually starts
with a doctor using a stethoscope to listen
to the heart for a murmur, or an unusual
sound. The next step is often an echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart.
"When someone hears a murmur, you
should really get an ultrasound to hear
where that murmur is coming from,"
Nkomo says.

The Structural Heart
& Valve Center
team of Community
Healthcare System
is dedicated to providing patients with
access to the most
advanced treatments
for structural heart
and valve diseases.
Using a multidisciplinary approach,
the team determines
the most effective
treatment options
and shares best
practices to ensure
patients receive the
most comprehensive
care available.
Traditional valve
replacement requires
a complex openheart procedure with
a "sternotomy" that
surgically opens the
chest. In contrast,
transcatheter aortic
valve replacement,
or TAVR, is performed
through a small
needle stick through
the groin artery. The
less invasive procedure leaves the
chest intact.
TAVR is considered
an effective option
to improve quality of
life for many patients
who are unable to
tolerate a lengthy
open-heart surgery.
The procedure is
approved by the FDA
for patients with
aortic stenosis who
are considered intermediate or high risk
and have other medical conditions.

If the issue is determined to be heart valve
disease, there are a number of treatment
options depending on the severity and type.
People with mild valve problems may be
able to manage symptoms with medicine and
no surgery. But for people with heart valve
problems that affect the heart's ability to
pump blood, surgery to repair or replace the
valve is likely in order.
Traditional open-heart surgery used to be
pretty much the only option. But things have
changed thanks to advances in medicine.
"You can now replace someone's aortic
valve without open-heart surgery, which is a
big leap forward," Nkomo says.
Minimally invasive procedures include
TAVR, the surgery that Jagger had; videoassisted surgery; and robot-assisted surgery,
according to the American Heart Association.
TAVR procedures are performed by using
a small incision to enter a large artery in
the groin or chest. Then, a doctor can repair
the damaged heart valve by installing a new
replacement valve (and without having to
remove the old valve).
Minimally invasive heart surgeries aren't
just for heart valves, though. Other minimally
invasive procedures include beating-heart
coronary bypass, which is bypass surgery
without stopping the heart, and thoracic
endovascular aortic repair (called TEVAR),
a procedure to treat an aneurysm (bulge) in
the upper part of the aorta. TEVAR involves
making a small incision and using a device
called a stent graft to reinforce the aneurysm
and help prevent it from bursting.
If you have heart valve disease, it's important to talk to your doctor about which
treatment option is right for you. You might
not be performing "Jumpin' Jack Flash" for
crowds of thousands, but you still want to feel
like a rock star. *

Best Care for
Heart Disease

Cardiovascular physicians at the Structural
Heart & Valve Center are among an elite few
in Indiana to offer patients Watchman™ for
atrial fibrillation, balloon valvuloplasty for
aortic and mitral valve stenosis, and TAVR.
Visit COMHS.org/heart.

VIM & VIGOR SUMMER 2020

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3/30/20 3:28 PM
http://www.COMHS.org/heart
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - CH

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