Heart & Valve

Saint Michael’s Medical Center Heart and Valve program provides comprehensive treatment for valvular and structural heart disease. Our team includes interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and nurse practitioners working together, using traditional surgical and advanced non-surgical treatments. We provide personal and compassionate care, treating patients as we would our own family.

A pioneer in cardiac and vascular care, Saint Michael’s excels in caring for the community while teaching the next generation of health care providers. Saint Michael’s state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization laboratory allows doctors to perform non-surgical procedures to treat valvular and structural heart diseases. Using thin, flexible tubes called catheters, interventional cardiologists can repair damaged or diseased heart valves without surgery.

For more information or to make an appointment with a cardiologist please call 973-877-5080.

Call for Information

Transcatheter Valve Replacement (TAVR)

Saint Michael’s performs transcatheter valve replacement (TAVR) to treat aortic stenosis (AS), a common and severe disease. In patients with AS, the opening of the aortic heart valve narrows, forcing the heart to work harder and preventing the heart from pumping enough blood to the rest of the body.

While some cases of AS are related to a congenital heart defect called a bicuspid aortic valve, AS typically develops as we age or as calcium or scarring damages the valve.

People with AS don’t typically experience noticeable symptoms until the restricted blood flow becomes significantly reduced.

Symptoms of aortic stenosis may include:

Chest pain
Rapid, fluttering heartbeat
Trouble breathing or feeling short of breath
Feeling dizzy or light-headed, even fainting
Difficulty walking short distances
Swollen ankles or feet
Difficulty sleeping or needing to sleep sitting up
A decline in activity level or reduced ability to do everyday activities

Mitral Valve Repair

Saint Michael’s performs a procedure to fix a condition known as mitral valve regurgitation.

Mitral Valve Repair Mitral valve regurgitation — also called mitral regurgitation, mitral insufficiency, mitral incompetence or a leaky heart valve — is a condition in which your heart’s mitral valve doesn’t close tightly, allowing blood to flow backward in your heart. If the mitral valve regurgitation is significant, blood can’t move through your heart or to the rest of your body as efficiently, making you feel tired or out of breath.

During the procedure, doctors access the mitral valve with a thin tube (called a catheter) that is guided through a vein in your leg to reach your heart. A small implanted MitraClip is attached to your mitral valve to help it close more completely. The MitraClip helps to restore normal blood flow through your heart.

A leaky heart valve can reduce the quality of your life. In some cases, people with mitral valve regurgitation may not experience any symptoms. But over time, problems can emerge when the heart fails to pump enough blood.

Cardiologists who have a patient with severe aortic stenosis or severe mitral regurgitation, and who are candidates for TAVR or MitraClip, can have pre-TAVR or pre-MitraClip testing arranged by calling the Saint Michael’s Medical Center TAVR & MitraClip Valve Clinic at 973-803-0872.