CONTACT: David Billig (914) 493 8028
Westchester Medical Center Performs Hudson Valley's First
Mitraclip Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair Procedure
Minimally invasive heart valve repair (MitraClip procedure) offers hope to those patients deemed too high risk for traditional open mitral valve repair surgery
Westchester Medical Center (WMC) recently announced that it is the first and only hospital in the Hudson Valley region to perform transcatheter mitral valve repair with the MitraClip device, a life-saving procedure to repair a diseased mitral valve without open heart surgery.
The WMC Transcatheter Heart Team uses Abbott MitraClip to treat patients with symptomatic moderate to severe mitral regurgitation who are considered high or prohibitive risk for open surgery. The team, consisting of cardiothoracic surgeons, interventional cardiologists, echo cardiologists, radiologists and cardiac anesthesiologists, performs the procedure in the state-of-the-art hybrid OR. Only a handful of hospitals in the tri-state area perform this procedure.
"Because the procedure involves only a needle in the groin, it has made their recovery much quicker compared to traditional surgery." says Dr. Hasan Ahmad, Interventional Cardiologist and a Heart Team member. "One of our first cases was a 94 year-old frail woman who would have been too sick for open heart surgery. She is now feeling better and enjoys spending time with her family and friends."
"There are many elderly patients and patients with many medical issues that have moderate to severe mitral regurgitation, a leak in one of their heart valves" said Dr. Gilbert Tang, Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Director of Valve Disease Center at WMC. "Most physicians choose to treat these patients with medications but they often end up with heart failure and frequent hospital visits. The MitraClip procedure is a minimally invasive procedure that can dramatically improve the quality of life among these patients. There is no age limit for this therapy."
To inquire about TAVR at Westchester Medical Center, contact the Valve Program Hotline at (914) 830-1098 or e-mail HeartValve@wcmc.com.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
WMCHealth is a 1,500-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, NY, spanning seven hospitals and several campuses and locations in the Hudson Valley. Its flagship, Westchester Medical Center, is the only regional resource for tertiary and quaternary care, covering 6,000 square miles in eight counties and serving more than three million people. WMCHealth has a workforce of more than 10,000 people, with nearly 3,000 attending physicians. From Level 1 and Level 2 Trauma Centers, the region's only children's hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals and numerous health-related centers, programs and services, today WMCHealth is the leading and pre-eminent provider of integrated health in the Hudson Valley.
-30-