Regional Medical Center of Acadiana Among Elite U.S. Hospitals to Offer Aortic Valve Replacement Without Open Heart Surgery

January 23, 2013

LAFAYETTE, LA — January 21, 2013 — The Heart Institute at the Regional Medical Center of Acadiana announces the area’s first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure to be performed today by Heart Institute surgeons and cardiologists.

TAVR is a less invasive approach to aortic valve implantation for patients considered high-risk or inoperable for traditional open-heart valve surgery as an FDA-approved standard of care.

“For many patients needing an aortic valve replacement, the thought of being labeled as ‘inoperable’ for a surgical procedure can make them feel like they are out of options,” says cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Charles Wyatt. “But now, our new TAVR program offers hope for patients with aortic stenosis that meet criteria for the procedure.”

In the procedure, an Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve is mounted onto a balloon delivery catheter and injected into a small incision in the leg or left side of the chest without the need for a sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass. The entire procedure is performed on a beating heart.

Regional’s Heart Institute is the first and only facility in Acadiana and the third facility  in Louisiana chosen by Edwards Lifesciences, the global leader in the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring, for exclusive use of the SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve.

“We noticed a tangible partnership among Regional’s cardiovascular team, and their ability to pull together a well-represented, disciplined unit,” said Sarah Huoh, Senior Director of Global Communications at Edwards. “There was a need for this technology in the area, and Regional’s history and experience made it an ideal home for this program.”

The surgeons and cardiologists involved in the TAVR initiative completed rigorous training with Edwards proctors and staff in New York.   The TAVR team at Regional Medical Center of Acadiana includes Dr. Charles Wyatt, Cardiothoracic Surgeon and TAVR Surgical Director, Dr. Raghotham Patlola, Cardiologist, Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) and TAVR Medical Director, Dr. Mitchell Lirtzman, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Regional Medical Center, Dr. Louis Salvaggio, Cardiologist, CIS, Dr. John Patterson, CIS, Dr. Wade May, Cardiologist, CIS.  

Aortic valves, which regulate blood flow from the heart into the aorta, are susceptible to stenosis (failure to open) and insufficiency (blood to flow in the wrong direction, back into the heart).  Critical aortic stenosis results in a death rate of approximately 50 percent in the first two to three years after diagnosis without surgical intervention.  Approximately 300,000 Americans suffer from severe aortic stenosis.  At least 30 percent of these patients do not undergo surgery for replacement of the aortic valve because of advanced age, heart failure, or the presence of multiple coexisting conditions.

The Heart Institute is a new “hospital-within-a-hospital” at Regional Medical Center of Acadiana.

The Institute is designed to minimize the need to move the cardiovascular patient throughout the hospital and creates a “single-stop” destination for cardiovascular care.  The goal is to improve patient, family and physician satisfaction and increase patient efficiencies.  

The facility houses some of the latest diagnostic and treatment technology, including a dedicated hybrid OR designed exclusively for cardiovascular care, dedicated cardiovascular OR, dedicated cardiovascular recovery unit, dedicated cardiovascular intensive care unit and now, the area’s only transcatheter aortic valve replacement program using the Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve.

Patients interested in learning more about the TAVR procedure can contact Cindy Langley, RN, Heart Institute Director at 337.406.4127 or visit www.RegionalHeartValve.com .

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