Cincinnati (April 12, 2016) – Breakthrough research conducted by The Lindner Research Center at The Christ Hospital is making heart valve replacement without open heart surgery available to patients who would otherwise not be candidates for this revolutionary procedure. This week, The Christ Hospital was the first facility in the country to perform this innovative procedure on a low surgical risk patient.
In the past only elderly patients considered to be at high risk for open heart surgery were eligible for a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), a highly-effective catheter-based valve replacement procedure that Christ Hospital physicians have pioneered.
Now, research conducted at The Christ Hospital has opened TAVR to a new and broader group of patients, those considered to be at low risk for open heart surgery. The Christ Hospital is the only facility in the region and one of few programs in the country to offer this revolutionary heart procedure to lower-risk surgical candidates.
“Based on our leading edge research on heart valve treatment, local patients can benefit from this new procedure and be treated long before it becomes available for general use at other local hospitals,” said Dean Kereiakes, M.D, medical director of The Christ Hospital Heart and Vascular Center and The Lindner Research Center at The Christ Hospital. “Research performed at The Christ Hospital will hopefully make this life-saving, minimally invasive technology an option for all heart patients.”
The current clinical trial evaluates the Sapien 3 transcatheter heart valve, which was developed by Edwards Lifesciences of Irvine, Calif. The Christ Hospital is the first research center in the country to enroll patients – who must be 65 years-old or greater – in the study.
In 2011, The Christ Hospital was the first local hospital to perform TAVR and remains the only program to offer this leading edge valve technology to a broader group of heart valve patients. The Lindner Research Center has been one of a select number of research sites in the country chosen to evaluate new heart valve technologies that have transformed valvular disease therapy. The Christ Hospital has improved the lives of almost 500 local patients using TAVR.
A study reported at the recent American College of Cardiology meeting in Chicago found that centers who performed higher volumes of TAVR had significantly better clinical outcomes for patients including improved survival. The Christ Hospital has the most experienced TAVR program in the region, providing life-saving heart valve replacement treatment without open heart surgery to over 400 patients.
"Clinical research at The Christ Hospital drives quality and innovation in healthcare in our community,” Dr. Kereiakes said. “Our work is advancing cardiovascular care on a national level while providing a unique resource to heart patients in our community.”
If you or a family member needs aortic valve replacement for symptomatic aortic valve stenosis or to learn more about advanced heart care at The Christ Hospital’s Health Network, call 513-206-1234 or visit TheChristHospital.com/heart.
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.