Though only recently approved by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration, TAVR was pioneered at Morristown
Medical Center through clinical trials, allowing patients to
be among the first nationwide to benefit from this major
advance.
“Studies have shown that TAVR is meeting gold stan-
dards for valve replacement,” asserted cardiac surgeon James
P. Slater, MD, surgical director of mechanical circulatory
support, MMC. “Based on research that spans five years,
the technique yields equivalent outcomes for patients cate-
gorized as high or intermediate risk, with a faster recovery
than open-heart surgery.” As a result, the procedure is now
offered to younger and healthier patients as well.
TAVR and conventional surgery offer vastly different
approaches to valve replacement. Open-heart surgery
requires a 15-inch incision, enabling physicians to open the
chest wall and temporarily stop the heart before removing
the impaired valve and putting a new valve in its place.
The arduous operation is followed by a lengthy hospital
stay and recuperation.
In contrast, TAVR is performed in less than an hour.
The collapsible replacement valve is delivered to the heart
with a catheter, which the surgeon threads through an
artery in the groin similar to a heart catheterization.
Instead of removing the diseased valve, physicians implant
the new one inside. Patients are usually out of bed the next
day and back to their normal routines within a couple of
weeks.
For patients like Robert
Regent, who’ve undergone
both types of valve
replacement, the
experiences are like
night and day.
Without
Skipping a Beat
Drs. Blitz and Slater
performed Regent’s TAVR
last May at Morristown
Medical Center. “It was incredi-
ble,” asserted Regent. “I went in on a
Thursday and was home by Monday.
No big zipper down my chest. No
long recovery. This procedure was far
less traumatic than the first one.”
“At one time, New York City was the center of
medicine. Now hospitals in New Jersey have the same
capabilities,” he continued, expressing appreciation for
the collaborative care between his community hospital
and a premier heart center.
Today Regent is balancing a full social calendar – play-
ing horseshoes, bocce ball and ping pong. Most of all, he
looks forward to getting back on the golf course this spring.
“At my age you’re always recovering,” he joked.
“But I feel pretty good for 84!” ❖
To learn more about TAVR, visit atlantichealth.org/valve
or call 1-888-4AH-DOCS.
Chilton Magazine SUMMER 2017