Maryland’s Health Matters - St. Joseph - Winter 2018 - 5

T
AN
EASIER
FIX FOR

FAULTY
HEART
VALVES
AT UM ST. JOSEPH MEDICAL CENTER, SPECIALTY HEART SURGEONS
PERFORM A MINIMALLY INVASIVE
SURGERY KNOWN AS TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT
(TAVR) TO TREAT ONE OF THE
DEADLIEST DISEASES-HARDENING
OF THE HEART VALVES

wo years ago, Evelyn

replacement that did not

Kimball was diag-

require opening the chest.
Patients of Kimball's age,

nosed with aortic

stenosis-a narrowing of

who are frail or with pre-

the heart valve caused

existing medical conditions,

by calcium buildup-and

could qualify for a minimally

told that she needed valve

invasive procedure called

replacement. The first thing

TAVR, which stands for

Kimball said to her cardi-

transcatheter aortic valve

ologist, Stephen Pollock,

replacement. At the time,

MD, was, "I don't want my

only a handful of cardiac

chest opened!" It was her

hospitals around the

understanding that heart

country offered this innova-

valve replacement required

tive treatment.

open-heart surgery. Kimball's

Center (UM SJMC) 10 years

HEART
SPECIALISTS
WITH INCREDIBLE
EXPERIENCE

before, and she had been his

TAVR is similar to having

main caregiver. Although her

a cardiac stent. A cath-

husband's recovery had been

eter is inserted through the

outstanding, Kimball knew it

patient's groin and guided

was a major operation.

up to the heart, explains UM

husband had quadruple
bypass open-heart surgery
at UM St. Joseph Medical

SJMC board-certified cardiac

AN ALTERNATIVE
TO OPEN-HEART
SURGERY

surgeon Rawn Salenger, MD,
clinical assistant professor of
surgery at the University of

As serious as Kimball's

Maryland School of Medicine.

diagnosis was-without

"At the tip of the catheter

treatment, 50 percent

is a stent frame containing

of symptomatic patients

a new valve that is deployed

die within two years-Dr.

into the space of the old

Pollock, a board-certified

valve, pushing it aside and

cardiologist, told her that

opening up in its place,"

the silver lining was that

says Dr. Salenger, who is half

cardiac care at the Univer-

of the dynamic doctor duo

sity of Maryland Medical

on the TAVR heart team.

Center was on the cutting

The other half is Shumile

edge of a revolution in valve

Zaidi, MBBS, director of the

stjosephtowson.com | Winter 2018  5
http://www.stjosephtowson.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maryland’s Health Matters - St. Joseph - Winter 2018
