MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich.—McLaren Macomb, through its Mat Gaberty Heart Center, has reported exceptional clinical outcomes for patients who have undergone a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a minimally invasive procedure originally introduced to replace the heart’s aortic valve in patients deemed a high- or intermediate-risk for heart surgery.
Performed in the cardiac catheterization lab, patients living with severe aortic stenosis receive a TAVR to replace the malfunctioning aortic valve with an organic valve supported by a metallic stent.
McLaren Macomb cardiologists launched the TAVR program in the spring of 2018, and in the months since, quality of life indicator data supports enhanced clinical outcomes for those patients who have undergone the procedure to replace the critical heart valve.
Patients who received TAVR reported an average quality of life increase of 56.25 when returning the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ). The industry standard, the KCCQ is a measurement in which patients self-report the impact their heart disease symptoms are having on their quality of life, generating a score on a scale of 0 to 100.
Following treatment, patients complete the same questionnaire (at 30 days and again at one year from the date of treatment) in order to measure the overall effectiveness of the treatment.
“What our data demonstrates is that the program is working as it’s intended to,” said Dr. Timothy Logan, interventional cardiologist and chief of cardiology at McLaren Macomb. “Patients who were suffering the symptoms of aortic stenosis are returning home feeling much better with a greater quality of life.”
The announcement of these quality statistics coincide with the McLaren Macomb TAVR team’s expansion of the program to include additional patient populations.
Dr. Logan and the team are now capable of performing an alternative access approach to the procedure – accessing the malfunctioning heart valve via the carotid artery in the neck to accommodate patients who, for any reason, might not be able to tolerate access from the femoral artery in the groin.
Additionally, the team has broadened the TAVR inclusion criteria to include the procedure as a primary treatment option for patients who are at low-risk for heart surgery, a move approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) following clinical trials.
“While TAVR was originally introduced as an option for patients deemed too high-risk for surgery, we now have clinical data to support that this treatment is effective in low-risk patients as well,” Dr. Logan said. “As a result, we are excited to offer TAVR as the primary treatment option for more patients at McLaren Macomb.”
A very common condition, aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve, keeping it from fully opening, reducing the amount of blood pumped through the heart. Forced to work harder, the heart is weakened, causing symptoms of chest pain, fatigue and shortness of breath, among others.
Learn more about cardiac care at McLaren Macomb at mclaren.org/macombheart.
About McLaren Macomb
McLaren Macomb is a 288-bed acute care hospital located in Mount Clemens, Mich. More than 400 physicians and nearly 2,000 employees work at McLaren Macomb making it one of Macomb County’s top employers. McLaren Macomb provides a full range of services, including cancer and cardiovascular care. As Macomb County’s first verified trauma center, the hospital operates the busiest emergency department in Macomb County and is also an accredited chest pain center. McLaren Macomb has a rich history of providing high quality, compassionate health care and holds a strong position in the community it serves. To learn more, visit mclaren.org/macomb or follow our blog mclaren.org/macombblog.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a fully integrated health network committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 14 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 620,000 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health and hospice providers, retail medical equipment showrooms, pharmacy services, and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of only 49 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. McLaren has 26,000 employees and more than 85,500 network providers. Its operations are housed in more than 350 facilities serving Michigan and Indiana.