Doctors Medical Center Celebrating TAVR Anniversary, First 50 Patients

What: Celebrating 50 TAVR Patients

When: Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018 at 11 a.m.

Where: Doctors Medical Center McHenry Conference Center, 1445 McHenry Avenue in Modesto

Description: Please join us as we celebrate our patients, our physicians and our team on our first year and 50 TAVR cases.

Doctors Medical Center is home to a Valve Clinic and we are proud to offer the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) program to residents throughout the Central Valley. This procedure is used in patients with severe aortic stenosis at intermediate or greater risk for open heart surgery.

TAVR is a less invasive, catheter-based technique for replacing the diseased aortic valve. Physicians guide a new valve into the heart through an incision in the leg while the heart is still beating, using guidance from X-ray and echocardiography. The survival rate of 30 days for patients at intermediate-risk of open-heart surgery who received this valve is 99%.

Aortic stenosis (AS) is one of the most common and most serious valve disease problems. With AS, the opening of the aortic heart valve narrows. As a result, the heart needs to work harder and may not pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body. Aortic stenosis can be caused by a birth defect, rheumatic fever, radiation therapy or can be related to age. Traditional treatment for this disease is open-heart surgery, which may require extensive hospital stays and recovery times.

84-year-old Dorothy Tilton of Ripon was our first case one year ago and said she noticed a positive difference in her symptoms as soon as the next day after her TAVR procedure. She could breathe easier, walk further and her quality of life improved.

75-year-old Carl Wheeler of Oakdale was our 50th TAVR patient in September 2018. He said he felt much stronger after having his procedure.

Our TAVR team is composed of a multidisciplinary, collaborative group of physicians and caregivers, including interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, imaging specialists, anesthesiologists, advanced care nurses and valve clinic coordinator.