Structural Heart Program

Virtua’s Structural Heart Program provides the latest treatments for abnormalities or defects of the heart’s walls, chambers, and valves, improving your heart’s function and quality of life.

Our Approach to Structural Heart Care

You eat well, exercise regularly, and don’t smoke. So you’ve got things covered when it comes to heart health, right?

Structural heart disorders are different. These problems may be present at birth (congenital), or develop over time due to aging, an infection, or an event like a heart attack.

For many years, structural heart problems required open-heart surgery. Virtua’s highly specialized cardiac specialists offer an array of advanced, catheter-based procedures that allow for a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery.

Structural Heart Conditions We Treat

• Regurgitation (leaking) of the aortic, mitral, tricuspid, or pulmonic valve
• Stenosis (stiffening) of the aortic, mitral, tricuspid, or pulmonic valve
• Atrial septal defect, a hole between the two upper chambers of the heart
• Patent foramen ovale (PFO), a condition in which the heart wall fails to close completely after birth, which can allow a blood clot to pass from the right atrium to the left, block a blood vessel to the brain, and cause a stroke
• Ventricular septal defect, a hole between the two lower chambers of the heart
• Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart that can cause a reduction in the amount of blood pumped to the body
• Stroke reduction for people with atrial fibrillation

Structural Heart Tests and Treatments

Most people see a structural heart specialist after being referred by a general cardiologist, an interventional cardiologist, or a cardiac surgeon.

Virtua’s structural heart experts are on the cutting-edge of care, performing procedures that include:

• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR): TAVR uses a catheter threaded through an artery to insert a new aortic valve inside your heart. Once opened with a special balloon, the new valve pushes the old one aside and begins to work immediately.
• Minimally invasive surgical aortic valve replacement (miniAVR): In patients who are not candidates for TAVR, the valve is replaced through several small incisions in the chest.
• MitraClip: For patients with severe degenerative mitral valve regurgitation, a tiny clip placed at the end of a catheter is threaded through the blood vessels to the heart. The clip clamps the leaflets of the mitral valve into a more secure position, improving their ability to open and close.
• Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR): Similar to TAVR, a new valve is threaded through an artery to the heart, where it pushes the old mitral valve aside.
• Minimally invasive surgical mitral valve repair (miniMVR): During this procedure, the surgeon may trim excess tissue from the valve flaps, add a collar to the base of the valve for support, or improve the connections of the valve to the heart.
• Watchman device: People who have atrial fibrillation can develop clots in part of the heart. If a clot escapes, it can travel through a blood vessel to the brain and cause a stroke. Doctors use a catheter to thread the Watchman into the heart and seal off the appendage so clots cannot escape.
• Atrial and septal defect closure (hole in the heart): A small device called a septal occluder is threaded to the heart and placed to cover the hole in the wall between the chambers of the heart. Over time, heart tissue grows over the occluder, sealing it in place.