St. Clair Hospital has opened a new Heart Valve Center, bringing a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of patients with significant or severe aortic stenosis (narrowing), a disease which continues to be common, debilitating and undertreated. Fortunately, advances in the treatment of aortic stenosis, which impedes the delivery of blood to the body through the aorta and makes the heart work harder, have made it possible for many more patients to receive care, including ones with major comorbidities, which is the simultaneous presence of two chronic diseases or conditions in a patient.

Once a referral is made by a primary care physician or specialist, and echocardiography testing has been completed and reviewed by the Heart Valve Center, each patient will receive personal assistance with scheduling and registration. The Heart Valve Center is staffed by interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and a physician assistant.

Heart Valve Center staff will educate patients about heart valves and heart valve disease and help them better understand testing and results, diagnosis and the next steps to achieve optimum heart valve health. Any subsequent test scheduling will be initiated during Heart Valve Center appointments.

Treatment options through the Heart Valve Center include: medication therapy; prospective care and testing; cardiac rehabilitation; valvuloplasty; traditional surgical aortic valve replacement; and referral for minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR. Referring physicians will receive prompt communication regarding their patients’ treatment plans.

Patients diagnosed with aortic stenosis may be referred to the Heart Valve Center by their primary care physicians or specialists. The Heart Valve Center is conveniently located in Suite 312 at the St. Clair Professional Office Building, 1050 Bower Hill Road, adjacent to St. Clair Hospital. Call (412) 942-VALV (8258).