Doctors Medical Center Performs First TAVR Procedure

We are pleased to inform you that Doctors Medical Center is now home to a brand new 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.

On Sept. 28, physicians at Doctors Medical Center performed our first local cases. 83-year-old Dorothy Tilton of Ripon was our first case 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 has already improved. Tilton is open to media interviews and is willing to talk about the impact TAVR has made on her life.

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.

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.

After the onset of symptoms, patients with severe AS have a survival rate as low at 50% at 2 years and 20% at 5 years without aortic valve replacement. Traditional treatment for this disease is open-heart surgery, which may require extensive hospital stays and recovery times.

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%.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or if you would like to interview this patient. For additional information about TAVR, click here.

Media Contact:
Krista Deans
Business Development Coordinator
Doctors Medical Center
(209) 576-3500