Heart valve disease has been getting a lot of attention lately – a partnership with comedian and NASCAR team owner David Letterman urges viewers of races to “get your valves checked” in a commercial likening the body’s main pump components to the valves of a racecar. It’s one of several new media campaigns by various organizations to educate the public about this condition that affects at least 2.5% of U.S. adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The prevalence rises sharply with age, with 10% or more people age 65 and up suffering from disease in one of the heart’s four valves and up to 13% of people over age 75 dealing with moderate or severe heart valve disease.
That’s roughly 8 million people at minimum; and more than 28,000 American deaths are attributed to it each year.
Interventional cardiologist Muhammad Raza, MD, is hoping to see these stats improve with recent breakthroughs in treatment options.
“Almost any valve disease at this point is treatable,” he said, “compared to ten, fifteen years ago when only a certain number of patients could get treatment because the only treatment was open heart surgery. Whereas in this day and age, with technological advances, we can manage almost any valve disease in any subset of patients.”
Transcatheter procedures have revolutionized the management of valve issues but for the mitral valve, threading a clip for repair has been the only minimally-invasive option to restore its full function. Dr. Raza explained that has changed now, with the landmark first commercially available Transcather Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR) procedure at Deborah Heart and Lung Center this spring.
“Many patients, unfortunately, have symptoms or heart failure hospital admissions, and are not candidates for the clip procedure, or for open heart surgery because they were frail or elderly,” he said. “With this new technique we are able to offer this therapy to them and help them to alleviate their symptoms and reduce the risk of hospitalization.”
KYW’s Rasa Kaye discusses the current state of heart valve repair and replacement with Dr. Raza, and the exciting developments on the way.
To schedule an appointment, visit DemandDeborah.org or call 609-831-4456.
This Health Report is sponsored by Deborah Heart and Lung Center
Interventional cardiologist Muhammad Raza, MD
Interventional cardiologist Muhammad Raza, MD
