Cardiologists at Munster-based Powers Health Community Hospital performed the first transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement procedure in Indiana.
Tricuspid regurgitation, a life-threatening condition, occurs when the tricuspid valve on the right side of the heart does not close properly. Blood flows backward from the ventricle to the atrium. This causes a patient’s heart to work harder to move blood through the valve.
If left untreated, tricuspid regurgitation may lead to heart failure. Treatment options include medication or surgery to repair the valve.
Cardiologists at Powers Health Community Hospital used an EVOQUE tricuspid valve device to treat a patient with severe tricuspid regurgitation. The device was implanted using a catheter threaded through the femoral vein to the heart. The procedure is less invasive than conventional open-heart surgery.
“The tricuspid valve is complex anatomically,” said Dr. Samer Abbas, in a press release. Abbas is an interventional cardiologist and medical director of cardiovascular services at Community Hospital and the Structural Heart and Valve Clinic of Powers Health. “This innovative procedure allows us to treat our patients who have severe tricuspid regurgitation through transcatheter intervention.”
Because the new surgery is minimally invasive, patients will typically experience a faster recovery time.
“Powers Health is honored to be among the pioneers to offer this procedure,” Dale O’Donnell, Powers Health vice president of cardiology services, said. “This is yet another instance that showcases the exemplary cardiovascular care available at our hospitals.”
