Heart Valve Clinic Helps Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis

Sarasota Memorial’s Heart Valve Clinic is an outpatient service to evaluate and manage patients with severe aortic stenosis and identify those eligible for minimally invasive Transcatheter Aortic Valve replacement (TAVR).

Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve of the heart, which causes the valve to fail to open and close properly. In TAVR, a replacement valve is inserted using a minimally invasive catheter-based system. The FDA has approved two approaches:

• Transfemoral approach, in which the catheter is inserted into the femoral artery through a small incision in the groin area and then guided to the heart;

• Transapical approach, in which the catheter is inserted through a small incision between the ribs of the left lower chest and the replacement valve is then inserted directly into the heart. This is a secondary approach used in patients whose femoral vessels are bent, twisted or too small to access the aortic valve from the femoral artery. It is the latest FDA-approved treatment for people suffering from severe aortic stenosis who may have been previously considered inoperable. 

Sarasota Memorial's valve team is experienced using both approaches. Traditionally, the only treatment option for severe aortic stenosis in an elderly, frail, high risk or inoperable patient was medical management. FDA approval of TAVR has opened an opportunity for intervention if specific requirements are met.

Location
Sarasota Memorial Heart & Vascular Services
1540 S. Tamiami Trail, 2nd floor.

Hours
It is open every Thursday afternoon by appointment.

Valve Clinic Physicians
The TAVR medical team includes:
• Interventional Cardiologists Ricardo Yaryura, MD, and David Schreibman, MD
• Cardiovascular/Thoracic Surgeons Atiq Rehman, MD, and Jeffrey Sell, MD
• Echocardiography Cardiologists Chippy Nalluri, MD and Hakim Morsli, MD
• Cardiac Anesthesiologist Mark Wittman, MD

Valve Clinic Program Manager
Jennifer Sullivan, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

Cost/Authorization
Medicare and most insurance plans cover this service. A physician referral is required, but patients are welcome to contact Program Manager Jennifer Sullivan with any questions at the contact numbers provided below.

Information
For more information, assistance with an authorization/referral or to schedule an appointment, please contact Jennifer Sullivan, ACNP, at (941) 917-6968 (phone), (941) 917-5437 (fax) or email: valveclinic@smh.com

To download a referral form, click here.