TAVR procedures at Silver Cross are culmination of teamwork and expertise
Retired accountant Bob Guler of Frankfort made history at Silver Cross Hospital last year when he became the hospital’s first patient to undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The minimally invasive alternative to open valve replacement was performed in the hospital’s new Cardiac Hybrid Room, part of a $22 million cardiac expansion that opened at the end of March 2021.
For most of his life, Bob enjoyed good health. Then at age 65, he says, “Everything started going downhill.” His primary care physician, Corinne Nawrocki, D.O., and cardiologist, Joseph Stella, D.O., noticed as well.
On an echocardiogram done earlier this year, Stella discovered Bob had severe aortic stenosis and referred him to the multidisciplinary heart valve team at Silver Cross. After further testing, Bob learned he was a candidate for TAVR.
According to Ravi Ramana, D.O., an interventional cardiologist and medical director of Silver Cross’s structural heart program, TAVR is done by inserting a catheter about the size of a pen through an artery in the leg and up into the heart. A new tissue heart valve is then implanted inside the narrowed valve, resulting in a normal functioning valve.
This improves the patient’s symptoms and takes the excess strain and stress off the heart muscle. TAVR avoids the need for opening the patient’s chest and putting them on a heart-lung machine.
A benefit of TAVR compared to open heart surgery is typically a quicker recovery period. And that was definitely the case for Bob.
Just hours after surgery, he was sitting up having dinner. A few hours later, he walked with help to the bathroom and then walked the hallways with assistance. He was discharged home the next day to recuperate.
“It was an exciting day for the Silver Cross team who really did an amazing job to have those two hours of the first TAVR procedure at Silver Cross go as smoothly as they did,” adds Ramana. “This process only can start with astute physicians like Dr. Nawrocki and Dr. Stella. The key is for patients and doctors to keep an eye out for and identify heart valve disease and appropriately refer the patients for testing and possible curative therapy. And it is immensely important to our Heart Team that we provide cutting-edge technology to our community.”
“I would definitely recommend TAVR to others who qualify for the procedure. They’ll get great care at Silver Cross!” Bob says.
For more information about heart care at Silver Cross or to schedule a $49 Heart Scan, which detects calcium deposits in the coronary arteries — the earliest indicator of heart disease — visit silvercross.org/heart.