On Friday, August 30, 2013, the team from Cooper Heart Institute’s Structural Heart Disease Program performed the 100th TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) procedure.
This represents a major milestone, and the culmination of many years of training and experience for the Structural Heart Program team at Cooper, since starting the program 18 months ago. Cooper University Hospital is one of the first 50 sites in the country, and the first in New Jersey, to perform the TAVR procedure. Cooper has performed more TAVR procedures than any other hospital in Southern New Jersey.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a minimally invasive procedure for patients with aortic valve stenosis that allows for the replacement of the diseased aortic valve with a new valve without open heart surgery. The new valve is inserted through an incision in the leg and goes to work immediately. This game-changing technology had been highly anticipated by physicians for some time and has now become an accepted technology for treating high-risk patients who cannot have open heart surgery.
The multidisciplinary team, which includes cardiologists, anesthesiologists, radiologists, nurses and technicians, among others, works in a coordinated way to assess patients and perform the TAVR procedure. They use a state-of-the-art hybrid operating room combining advanced imaging technology and facilities that allow the team to perform this delicate implant procedure.
Congratulations to the Structural Heart Program team on reaching this important milestone.
To make an appointment with a Cooper Heart Institute physician or to schedule diagnostic testing, call 1-888-8COOPER or request an appointment online at appointments.cooperhealth.org.
Read more about transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) at CooperHealth.org/TAVR