Structural Heart

The Structural Heart Program at AtlantiCare addresses structural heart disease, or defects in the heart's valves or chambers. 

Conditions We Treat

• Valve Regurgitation — Also known as leaky valve or valve insufficiency, regurgitation happens when your valve flaps do not close securely. Blood may leak backward through the valve. Your heart must pump harder to push blood in the right direction.
• Stenosis — Valve stenosis means the flaps are stiff or thickened. In some cases, they may be fused together. Stenosis causes your valve to narrow, limiting the flow of blood.
• Atrial Fibrillation — A common Arrhythmia condition, if left untreated Atrial Fibrillation greatly increases the risk of stroke.
• Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) — is a hole in the wall (septum) between the two upper chambers of your heart (atria). The condition is present at birth (congenital).
• Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) — a hole in the heart that didn't close the way it should after birth.

Treatments

A full complement of cardiac surgical procedures is available for those individuals who do not qualify for minimally invasive treatment. Please speak to your Cardiologist about this program and to find out what plan of care would be best for you. For more information about AtlantiCare’s Structural Heart Program, call 609-404-7343.

• ASD closure: An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a space, or “hole,” in the wall separating the heart’s two chambers. It allows oxygen-rich blood to leak into the oxygen-poor heart chambers. If an ASD is large enough, it may need to be closed through either surgery or a cardiac catheterization procedure to either patch or plug the opening. 
• Left atrial appendage closure: The left atrial appendage (LAA) is a small sac in the muscle wall of the top left chamber of your heart. For patients with atrial fibrillation, blood may collect there and form potentially dangerous blood clots. Left atrial appendage closure may involve prescription of blood-thinning medications or the implantation of a WATCHMAN device. 

• MitraClip™ Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair : repairs leaking valves minimally invasively.

  For patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation (heart valve leakage), MitraClip offers an alternative to traditional open-heart surgery. The mitral valve, which controls the flow of blood between the left heart chambers, can begin failing to close properly. This can cause leakage between the two chambers, which can put undue stress on your heart and cause other complications — even heart failure.

  No larger than a dime, the clip attaches to the faulty valve and allows it to close more completely. This helps improve both blood flow and overall quality of life, while reducing risk of further heart problems.

  • Why MitraClip™? 
    Traditional remediation of mitral valve regurgitation involves complex surgery to either repair or fully replace the faulty valve and carries its own set of implications including an extended stay and recovery. However, MitraClip™ surgery is done minimally invasively. We deliver the clip to the heart via a catheter inserted in the groin, so no major incisions or surgery are required. This is particularly beneficial for patients who have severe regurgitation or are too high-risk for traditional open-heart surgery.

  • After MitraClip™

    In addition to the improvements in heart function and quality of life, Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair offers all the usual benefits of minimally invasive surgery. Most patients enjoy a shorter recovery, less pain during that recovery and significantly smaller scars. Additionally, the improvements in heart function and reduced symptoms come almost immediately — and that means a quicker return to life.

    See how AtlantiCare’s expert cardiac surgical team helped Bill get back to the all the activities he loves after his procedure here.

WATCHMAN Device for Treating Atrial Fibrillation (Afib)

The Watchman™ Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device offers select patients with atrial fibrillation an alternative to warfarin to prevent a potentially life-threatening stroke.

Millions of Americans have atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common type of heart arrhythmia. This population is at an increased risk of stroke—in fact, one in three AFib patients is likely to have a stroke. To reduce this risk, AFib patients may need a blood-thinning medication such as warfarin or other anticoagulant. However, some patients who need blood thinners may not be able to take them because of a high risk of bleeding, which is when the Watchman Device may be an alternative.

The Watchman device is inserted by catheter through a recipient's blood vessel accessed through the groin. It is designed to seal off the heart's left atrial appendage (LAA), a sack-like pouch within one of the organ’s two upper chamber. For patients with AFib over 90 percent of stroke causing clots that develop in the heart are formed in the LAA. A person's heart tissue will grow over the permanent implant in time. The device is available in several sizes to best fit a recipient's body.

The Watchman isn't meant to be a universal alternative to anticoagulants, with only carefully chosen patients eligible for it.

The Watchman is for patients who:

• Have atrial fibrillation not caused by heart valve problems
• Have been recommended to take blood thinning medicines by their doctor
• Can take warfarin but need an alternative to blood thinners because they have a history of bleeding or a lifestyle that puts them at risk for bleeding

Patients who should not receive the implant include, but are not limited to patients who:

• Cannot take warfarin, aspirin or clopidogrel
• Should not or cannot undergo heart catheterization procedures
• Have an allergy or sensitivity to nitinol (nickel and titanium) or any of the other materials in the Watchman device
• Have a left atrial appendage that is too large or too small to fit the Watchman device
• PFO closure — using minimally invasive catheters, doctors can insert a device that plugs the hole in the heart.
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) — a revolutionary alternative for patients with aortic stenosis who are considered too high risk for open heart surgery. During TAVR, your surgeon inserts a catheter through a small incision in the groin to replace the heart valve, instead of opening the chest and completely removing the diseased valve.
• Management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy