On September 19th, 2022, MultiCare Pulse Heart Institute’s (PHI) structural heart disease team performed its 1000th transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) at Tacoma General hospital. PHI is the first program in the South Sound region of Western Washington to achieve this milestone and continues to lead as the largest transcatheter aortic valve program in the region. Read the Cath Lab Digest feature here.
TAVR, a minimally invasive procedure to replace a diseased aortic valve through small incisions, alleviates the symptoms of aortic stenosis and is an option for patients who are too sick, or have too many other high-risk issues, to undergo open-heart surgery. TAVR patients typically walk within 6 hours and in some cases leave the hospital the same day of the procedure.
Pulse has been treating patients with aortic stenosis for many years with traditional open-heart surgery and, since May 2014, with the less invasive TAVR procedure when PHI began its TAVR program, spearheaded by Dr. Al Graeve, cardiothoracic surgeon, and Dr. Kurt Kinney and Dr. Vinay Malholtra, cardiologists. Pulse was the first healthcare system in the South Sound to offer this procedure.
“We developed the first program in the South Sound to offer TAVR, and we’ve been performing the procedure longer than any other health system in the Puget Sound Region,” said Dr. Prashant Atri, interventional cardiologist at Pulse. “Performing 1,000 procedures is an achievement that displays our breadth of experience and specialized expertise. We are making better health easier by treating a wide range of patients with aortic stenosis and getting them back to their active lifestyles quickly.”
Excellent outcomes are a team effort – the PHI structural heart team is composed of members representing many disciplines of cardiac care, including nurses, OR scrub technicians, sonographers, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, surgeons, perfusionists, radiologists and registered cardiac invasive specialists. Each patient is unique, and as such, each case is planned out by this multidisciplinary team on a weekly basis at a Valve Conference. The information required for such planning usually involves an echocardiogram, heart catheterization, specialized CT Scan and a consultation with our Valve Clinic. The testing is efficiently arranged by a Valve Coordinator, who ensures patients are properly prioritized and their needs are met during the workup process.
“Reaching this milestone is a testament to the proficiency our team has built over the last eight years and the trust we’ve earned in the communities we serve,” said Dr. Atri. “I’m grateful for the hard work and compassionate care of every member of the structural heart disease team, past and present, whose dedication and service to our patients has led this program to where it is today.”
The PHI Structural Heart Disease Center of Excellence continues to increase capacity to help patients in the South Sound. Its physicians are early adopters of novel and proven techniques and technology and continue to deliver the latest and best care for patients afflicted by valvular heart disease.
For more information about Pulse Heart Institute and its programs, visit the Pulse website or call:
Inland Northwest 509-755-5500
Puget Sound Region 253-572-7320