MDNews - Greater Kansas

A DVANCEMENTS IN MEDICAL technolog y a re occurring more rapidly all the time, and structural cardiology is no exception. In fact, structural cardiology itself is growing out of the relatively limited role it played in cardiology in previous decades. "Structural cardiology is the branch of cardiology that deals with major defects of the heart," says Bassem Chehab, MD, Medical Director of the structural heart program at Via Christi. "Treatment of major heart defects used to be limited to surgery but has made the transition to per- cutaneous or catheter-based procedures." These procedures include transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR); the MitraClip procedure, a newly approved treatment for a group of people with severe mitral regurgitation; and the LARIAT procedure, which can reduce the risk of stroke in those with atrial fibrillation. It's this move to percutaneous or catheter-based options that is so excit- ing for the structural heart team at Via Christi. The team comprises interven- tional, structural and electrophysiological cardiologists; cardiothoracic surgeons; anesthesiologists; and a physician assis- tant who specializes in cardiology. "The development of the structural cardiology program at Via Christi is allow- ing us to move forward in a well-designed way to provide these procedures to the patients who need them," says Richard Steckley, MD, an interventional cardiolo- gist who is on the structural cardiology team at Via Christi. "These are new and developing techniques, and we are still learning how they are going to fit into the spectrum of care for our patients. "We have a good start with our mul- tidisciplinary team to learn how they can apply to the general population," Dr. Steckley continues, referring to the new procedures. Dr. Chehab agrees: "Advancements By Cori Dodds Structural Cardiology Program Brings Newest Medical Advances to Via Christi The members of the structural cardiology team, back row (from left): Sinisa Malinovic, MD, anesthesiologist; Darrell Youngman, DO, Division Chair of Inpatient Services and the cardiovascular service line for Via Christi; Bassem Chehab, MD, structural cardiologist and Medical Director of the structural heart program at Via Christi; Richard Steckley, MD, interventional cardiologist; David Havey, MD, anesthesiologist. Front row: Brett Grizzell, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon; Sanjay Khicha, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon; Dhaval Parikh, MD, electrophysiological cardiologist; Richard Allenbach, PA-C, Director of the Heart Valve Clinic at Via Christi. SPECI A L FE AT UR E PHOTOS © VIA CHRISTI HEALTH 8 | Greater Kansas MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M

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