Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center Becomes First Hospital in South Florida to Perform Tricuspid Valve in Valve Procedure

Palm Beach Gardens, Fla-May 11th 2018 - Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center advances its cardiac program as the first hospital in South Florida to offer tricuspid valve in valve implantation for tricuspid regurgitation.

Tricuspid regurgitation is a heart condition that affects millions of Americans. Many require surgical tricuspid valve replacement. Surgically placed valves can deteriorate and malfunction over time. For many such patients, performing repeat open-heart surgery to replace the defective valve can pose a high risk of complications. For such patients, there is now a new treatment option which allows a structural heart specialist to implant a new heart valve through a blood vessel in the leg, and within the old malfunctioning valve.

"Being able to offer specially selected patients this novel therapy is a great option for a subset of patients who are out of all other options,” said Dr. Saurabh Sanon, medical director for the structural heart disease program. “We evaluate such patients in a multidisciplinary fashion and they are usually discharged in just days.”

While “valve-in-valve” procedures are currently approved for mitral, pulmonary and aortic valve spaces, certain patients develop surgical valve degeneration in the tricuspid valve space. Some of these patients develop heart failure and are at high risk for repeat open-heart surgery. For such patients, a tricuspid valve-in-valve implantation can be planned in an effort to help.

"This procedure brings a safe and effective transcatheter therapy to patients who wouldn’t be an ideal candidate for repeat open-heart surgery," said Dianne Goldenberg, chief executive officer at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. "I am pleased our hospital continues to bring cutting edge technology to patients who need valve replacement procedures.”

To learn more information or to see if you may be a candidate for the tricuspid valve in valve procedure, go to our website at www.pbgmc.com