Heart Valve Center
Sometimes the valves of the heart don’t flow the way they should, leading to complications that can sometimes be life-threatening. The deterioration and calcification of the aortic valve is a condition called aortic stenosis. It is most often found in the elderly or in people born with abnormal valves. Since it restricts blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body, it can lead to heart failure or even death. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness or weakness, or fainting.
The team at the VCU Health Pauley Heart Valve Center provides comprehensive medical and surgical treatment options for heart valve disease in a caring, comfortable environment. Our experienced physicians are leaders in the diagnosis and treatment of heart valve disease and can offer patients with complex heart conditions new hope that is not available at most hospitals.
You or your loved one’s valve team will be made up of physicians and experts from a number of different specialties, all working together to develop the best, most personalized care. We’ll pull specialists in catheter-based heart treatments (interventional cardiology), cardiac and vascular surgery, advanced imaging, cardiac anesthesia and many others.
Whatever the patient’s condition, we have the specialists to improve life at VCU Health.
Pauley Heart Center: Home To Advanced Valve Repair Options
The Heart Valve Center provides a number of surgical treatments for aortic stenosis. While open-heart surgery is typically the preferred treatment, there are other options available depending on the health of the patient. Your heart valve team will examine your case and work with you to determine the best treatment options.
Learn more about our advanced treatment options.
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
In the past, treatment options have been limited for higher risk patients. But at Pauley Heart Center, there’s hope: we are one of the only hospitals in Central Virginia to offer an advanced method of aortic valve replacement that helps patients with severe aortic stenosis to feel better and live longer. TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure that is helpful for older patients with multiple illnesses who cannot undergo open-heart surgery, or for those who are at extremely high risk.
MitraClip
Learn more about MitraClip from Dr. Zachary Gertz
Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery
The Heart Valve Center also offers minimally invasive valve surgery, advanced techniques that do not require a large incision or cutting through the entire breastbone. The surgeon gains access to the heart through one to three smaller, less visible incisions. Recovery is generally faster and cosmetic results are greatly improved, but not all patients will be candidates.
To talk to someone at the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center and to learn more about these procedures, call (804) 628-4327.
Patients are now being evaluated in the VCU Health Pauley Heart Valve Center currently located in the third floor of the Ambulatory Care Center, 417 N. 11th Street, on the MCV Campus in downtown Richmond.
To discuss any potential candidates or schedule an outpatient referral, call (804) 628-4327.