Cincinnati (Nov. 10, 2015) –  Ellis Atchison, a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, will turn 100 years old on Nov. 14. Without the heart valve he received at The Christ Hospital, he would not have lived to celebrate this birthday.

When Atchison was 97-years-old he received a promising new heart valve known as the SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve (TAVR) that was part of a clinical research trial being conducted by a team of physicians led by Dean Kereiakes, M.D, medical director of The Christ Hospital Heart and Vascular Center and The Lindner Research Center at The Christ Hospital.

Just four months ago, the breakthrough valve that was pioneered by The Christ Hospital was approved for widespread use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in patients who are inoperable or high risk for traditional open heart surgery Ellis Atchison's participation in this trial helped to  improve the health of other local patients.

And it means he will celebrate his 100th birthday surrounded by family and friends and in better health than he was before receiving the new valve.

"I feel great," Atchison said. "My life has been changed, my life was probably saved, by the doctors at The Christ Hospital. They helped me to get to 100!"

Atchison, retired from a career as a military officer, lived a full and eventful life, said his wife Norma-Jean.

"Ellis served in World War II, he ran an intelligence unit in Hawaii during The Korean War and even served as a security officer to the Secretary of Defense," she said. "His whole life was about serving God, his country, and other people. And he has been so much happier since getting the heart valve three years ago."

Atchison had a condition known as aortic valve stenosis, which impedes the heart's ability to pump blood. Because of his condition, including his age, Atchison was not a candidate for open heart surgery. So doctors at The Christ Hospital suggested he participate in the SAPIEN 3 TAVR clinical trial and receive the new valve through a minimally invasive procedure.

Developed by Edwards Lifesciences of Irvine, CA, the valve and is designed to provide a simpler, easier procedure, with fewer post procedural complications and a faster recovery. The procedure allows the original diseased heart valve to be replaced with a new valve without traditional open heart surgery and while the heart continues to beat, avoiding the need to stop the patient’s heart and connect them to a heart-lung machine that temporarily takes over the function of the heart and the patient’s breathing during surgery.

"Basically," Dr. Kereiakes explained, "we replace the aortic valve through a small incision with a catheter and without open heart surgery-often leaving the patient with only a band-aid."

Dr. Kereiakes said that some elderly patients would be unable to undergo the procedure because of their condition combined with their age.

"But with Mr. Atchison, it was a very fortunate opportunity and we didn't want to miss that it," Dr. Kereiakes said. "And three years later, he is doing very well. Ellis is a delightful person who served his country in two wars, committed his life to his country and is getting ready to celebrate his 100th birthday. 

Clinical trials such as the one Atchison participated in are examples of what sets The Christ Hospital apart from other area hospitals.

In 2011, The Christ Hospital was the first local hospital to adopt TAVR. The Lindner Research Center was one of a select number of research sites in the country to evaluate new technologies that have since transformed heart valve disease therapy. These innovations can be life saving for patients suffering from heart valve disease who are poor surgical candidates. The Christ Hospital has improved the lives of over 300 local patients using TAVR.

“At The Lindner Research Center at The Christ Hospital, we are fortunate and proud to offer leading-edge technologies like the SAPIEN 3 transcatheter heart valve to patients in our community as part of a clinical trial years before they could otherwise get these treatments,” Dr. Kereiakes said.

To learn more about advanced heart care at The Christ Hospital’s Lindner Research Center, call 513-585-1777.

 

About The Christ Hospital Health Network: The Christ Hospital Health Network is an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn with five ambulatory centers and 181 neighborhood offices conveniently located throughout the Greater Cincinnati area. Its mission is to improve the health of the community and to create patient value by providing exceptional outcomes, affordable care and the finest experiences. Led by the region’s Most Preferred Hospital (National Research Corporation) for 20 consecutive years, the network is dedicated to transforming care by delivering integrated, individualized healthcare and wellness services through its comprehensive physician network and advanced specialty service. The Christ Hospital is among only 6% of hospitals in the nation to be awarded Magnet recognition for nursing excellence and among the top 5% of hospitals in the country for patient satisfaction. For more than 125 years, The Christ Hospital has provided compassionate care to all those it serves.

About The Lindner Research Center: For the past 25 years, The Carl and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education (Lindner Research Center) has provided leading-edge medicines and medical technology research covering a broad spectrum of conditions from obesity, diabetes, coronary disease, hypertension and hyperlipidemia to new vascular interventional devices, adult stem cell therapies, structural heart disease, cardiovascular surgery, heart failure and electrophysiology. Physicians at the Lindner Research Center have conducted more than 1,300 clinical trials including multiple first-in-man and first-in-the-U.S procedures, which have contributed to best practice standards for the care of patients. For information on current trials, please call 513-585-1777.