Fargo, North Dakota and Sioux Falls, South Dakota - Sanford Heart Hospitals recently became the only heart hospitals in the region to adopt a new FDA-approved minimally invasive medical device to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis who are too ill or frail to have their aortic valves replaced trough traditional open-heart surgery. These patients have a 50% risk of death at one year unless they are treated.

With age, a heart valve can become narrowed, preventing it from properly opening and closing, which diminishes blood flow between the heart and the rest of the body when the aortic valve does not open properly. This results in the heart having to work harder to pump blood, which can lead to developing aortic stenosis (AS). Approximately one-third of patients who suffer from severe aortic stenosis are not eligible for open-heart surgery because of increased risk. If left untreated, the heart muscle could weaken, leading to heart failure and an increased risk for sudden cardiac death.

The advanced design of the CoreValve System was developed to address the needs of the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) patient population, serving a broad spectrum of severe aortic stenosis patients. CoreValve TAVR is performed by a team of interventional cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons. Most commonly, CoreValve is inserted through a catheter procedure, either via the chest or groin. It is a self-expanding device designed to replace a severely narrowed aortic heart valve.

Sanford Heart has offered minimally invasive TAVR procedures since 2012 through the Edwards’ SAPIEN valve. Both Fargo and Sioux Falls currently offer Edward’s SAPIEN TAVR for patients with AS. CoreValve will allow Sanford to offer the procedure to patients who may not have qualified for other valve options.

Source: Sanford Health