UAB Cardiothoracic Surgery Annual Report 2015-16 UAB Medicine Cardiothoracic Surgery 2015/16 Annual | Page 13

UAB ’ s transcatheter aortic valve replacement ( TAVR ) program began in August 2012 as the first of its kind in Alabama . It features a multidisciplinary team of cardiovascular surgeons , interventional cardiologists , advanced practitioners , and psychologists who collaborate in a single setting to provide comprehensive , patient-centered care .

The UAB valve team performs valve-in-valve procedures in the mitral , pulmonic , and tricuspid valve positions . This innovative technology offers options for patients deemed to be at high risk for an open valve procedure and allows for shorter recovery and return to better quality of life . Patients are evaluated in UAB ’ s comprehensive valve clinic by cardiovascular surgeons and interventional cardiologists with training in structural heart disease , and they recommend the best treatment approach .

ADULT CARDIAC SURGERY

Additionally , UAB currently is the only medical center in Alabama with access to the MitraClip for the treatment of degenerative and functional mitral regurgitation . Recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of symptomatic high surgical risk / inoperable patients with severe degenerative mitral regurgitation , the device is also being evaluated in patients with severe symptomatic functional mitral insufficiency as part of the COAPT trial ( Clinical Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy ).

• The TAVR team performed more than 360 procedures from August 2012 through 2015 .

• To support our TAVR program , UAB established a state-of-the-art endovascular / hybrid operating room with a dedicated focus on treating patients with valve disease . This hybrid OR functions as a collaboration between interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery .

• For the period covering December 2014 to November 2015 , UAB ’ s TAVR program was recognized by the University HealthSystem Consortium ( UHC ) for having one of the nation ’ s lowest mean lengths of stay – averaging 5.42 days – among U . S . programs that have performed greater than 100 TAVR procedures .

UAB ’ s TAVR Volume : August 2012 – 2015

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