Published: June 18, 2020
LANSING, MI – Sparrow has become the first hospital in the nation to successfully implant an aortic valve replacement aimed at reducing leakage around the heart and lead to better patient outcomes.
The Navitor transcatheter aortic valve, developed by Abbott, is inserted through a catheter via an artery in the top of the leg to replace the old valve. The process means a quicker recovery for patients. The Structural Heart Team at Sparrow – Gaurav Dhar, M.D., Nam Cho, M.D., and Hisham Qandeel, M.D. – recently performed the procedure on a high-risk patient who recovered well and was discharged the following day.
Sparrow is the only site in Michigan that’s part of a nationwide clinical trial in which the valve is being studied.
“Participating in the clinical trial to evaluate the Navitor valve has allowed Sparrow to make cutting-edge technology available to the people of Michigan,” said Dr. Dhar, an interventional cardiologist. “We are honored to be the first to enroll in this important trial.”
TAVR is a minimally invasive alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement for patients who are diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis – a common and serious valve disease that restricts blood flow through the valve. More than one in eight people aged 75 and older have moderate or severe aortic stenosis, which is caused by a narrowing of the aortic valve opening in the heart that restricts blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta.
The Structural Heart Team & The Navitor Transcatheter Aortic Valve
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Sparrow, a member of the prestigious Mayo Clinic Care Network, is mid-Michigan’s premier healthcare organization that includes hospitals in Lansing, Charlotte, St. Johns, Ionia and Carson City as well as Physicians Health Plan, the Sparrow Medical Group and the Michigan Athletic Club. Sparrow is affiliated with Michigan Medicine through the Sparrow Children’s Center and with Michigan State University’s three human health colleges. Through these partnerships and the dedication of our 10,000 Caregivers, Sparrow pursues a vision to be nationally recognized as a leader in quality and Patient experience. For more information, visit sparrow.org.