Cover
Feature
The hybrid operating room at Via
Christi Hospital St. Francis includes
the most current high-technology
radiological and surgical equipment.
at
Via Christi Offers New Opportunities
E
ACH YEAR, ABOUT 5 million
people are diagnosed with
heart valve disease. Of those,
about 1.5 million have aortic
stenosis — an obstruction or narrowing
of the aortic valve. This is often caused
by the buildup of calcium deposits on
the leaflets of the valve.
Standard treatment of this condition
is open-heart surgery, in which the
damaged heart valve is removed and
replaced with a prosthetic valve. About
6
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■ mDNEWS.COm
500,000 people with
the diseased aortic valve — severe
heart valve disease
aortic stenosis will shorten life,
have severe aortic steand it has a far higher risk than
nosis. Because severe
cancer. Studies show that if not
aortic stenosis usually
treated surgically, as many as
occurs in those over
50 percent of these patients will
the age of 75, some
not survive more than approxiof these patients are
mately two years from the onset
identified as inoper- Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter
of symptoms.
heart valve
able or at high risk if
These inoperable or high-risk
they undergo open-heart surgery.
patients had little hope until November
Without treatment — replacement of
2011, when the U.S. Food and Drug
PHOTOS © VIA CHRISTI HEAlTH
By Cori Dodds
