Yuma Regional Medical Center Becomes TAVR Certified, Offering High-Risk Patients an Alternative to Open Heart Surgery
Yuma, AZ (PRWEB) September 05, 2014 -- Yuma Regional Medical Center’s (YRMC) Heart Team is announcing that the hospital is certified to perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures. TAVR is a therapy for patients with severe, aortic valve stenosis, who are at high-risk and are not considered candidates for open heart surgery. Yuma Regional Medical Center has partnered with Edwards SAPIEN to provide this minimally-invasive heart valve procedure.
The program is led by a team of cardiovascular surgeons, including Dr. Roberto Cervera and Dr. James Moon and interventional cardiologists Dr. Mark Awar, Dr. Habteab Feseha and Dr. Evren Kaynak. In order to become TAVR-certified, YRMC built a state-of-the-art Heart Hybrid Suite to house the procedure. The Heart Hybrid Suite opened on April 8, 2013. Only heart programs that perform 50 or more surgical valve replacements a year are eligible for consideration of a TAVR program.
“Our team is excited to bring this sophisticated surgery to Yuma, to work with Edwards and to enhance the quality of life after surgery for our patients,” said Dr. Habteab Faseha, Interventional Cardiologist at YRMC. “Yuma Regional Medical Center is the only hospital in Arizona outside of Tucson and Phoenix to be TAVR certified- a true testament to our organization’s commitment to bring advanced procedures and technologies to a rural community and beyond.”
The balloon-expandable Edwards SAPIEN valve is delivered via a catheter-based approach through the groin or the ribs. The procedure lasts approximately three hours and has a recovery time of approximately two to five days post-operation. Open heart surgery usually requires seven to 10 days of recovery time post-operation. TAVR patients also resume their regular activities and schedules one to two weeks after the procedure compared to approximately six weeks for open heart surgery patients.
The Yuma Regional Medical Center Heart Team also includes nurses, anesthesiologists, radiology technologists and surgical scrub techs, all of whom are in the Hybrid OR during the procedure. The heart team has taken a rigorous, multi-disciplinary approach to patient care in regards to future TAVR procedures.
Yuma Regional Medical Center is a 406-bed, not-for-profit hospital dedicated to providing outstanding medical care to the residents of Yuma and the surrounding communities in southwestern Arizona. The YRMC team includes over 2,000 employees, 300 doctors and hundreds of volunteers who work closely together to create a welcoming, caring, and compassionate environment for patients and their families. For more information visit http://www.yumaregional.org.
Edwards Lifesciences is the global leader in the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring. Driven by a passion to help patients, the company partners with clinicians to develop innovative technologies in the areas of structural heart disease and critical care monitoring, enabling them to save and enhance lives. Additional company information can be found at http://www.edwards.com.
Media Contacts:
Jenn Lotz or Shay Andres
Yuma Regional Medical Center
jlotz(at)yumaregional(dot)org or sandres(at)yumaregional(dot)org
928-336-7546 or 928-336-7595
Jennifer Lotz, Yuma Regional Medical Center, http://www.yumaregional.org, +1 9283367546, [email protected]
Share this article