By: Nate Wynn, MBA, BSN, RN, director of Operations for Heart & Vascular at Kettering and Sycamore medical centers
On February 5, the Heart & Vascular team at Kettering Medical Center completed the 400th transcatheter aortic valve repair (TAVR) procedure and the 100th Watchman procedure! These two momentous occasions were milestones in a journey that has been years in the making.
TAVR is a nonsurgical procedure for our patients that suffer from moderate to severe aortic stenosis. This procedure is performed with a catheter that is threaded through the femoral artery. This system delivers the new valve without ever needing to open a patient’s chest! With a two-year survivability rate at just 50%, severe aortic stenosis has a higher mortality rate than many cancers. The TAVR procedure gives these patients, who live right here in our community, a second lease on life.
The Watchman implant is a type of procedure known as left atrial appendage occlusion. When our patients have atrial fibrillation, they are at an elevated risk for stroke due to the clots that form in the atria of the heart. To address this risk, these folks are placed on potent blood thinners such as Warfarin. Some patients, however, do not tolerate this therapy well or are diagnosed with conditions that make it dangerous to stay on blood thinners. The Watchman device permanently closes the left atrial appendage, where approximately 70% of
these clots are formed, drastically reducing the risk of stroke.
The Heart & Vascular team at Kettering Medical Center is honored and humbled to offer these state-of-the-art procedures to our local community and beyond.