Structural Heart Care

Heart disease impacts everyone, but treating it in women can be more challenging. Traditional valve replacement surgery is risky, especially for women, who typically have smaller hearts and veins than men. As a result, they require a valve that allows for optimal blood flow. Due to their smaller size, women often receive valves that are too large, which can lead to complications and even life-threatening situations.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) offers a significantly safer treatment alternative for women with aortic stenosis. During this minimally invasive procedure, a surgeon makes small incisions to insert the new valve into the old one using a catheter.

Studies find that patients who choose TAVR implants, especially women, have fewer complications, less bleeding, and shorter recoveries and hospital stays than those who receive traditional valve replacement surgery.

As Kansas's only TAVR-certified hospital, our multidisciplinary specialists provide a reassuring path to recovery and the latest cardiac care to keep your heart as strong as possible.

Most people with a patent foramen ovale don't need treatment. However, your doctor may recommend a procedure to close the hole in your heart if you have low blood oxygen levels linked to the patent foramen ovale or if you've had an unexplained stroke. Procedures include:

Device closure. Doctors can insert a device that plugs the patent foramen ovale during a procedure called cardiac catheterization. In this procedure, the closure device is on the end of a long, flexible tube (catheter).

The doctor inserts the device-tipped catheter into a blood vessel in the groin and guides it into place using echocardiogram images as a guide.

Complications are uncommon with this procedure but may include a tear of the heart or blood vessels, movement of the device, or irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias).

Surgical closure. A surgeon can close the patent foramen ovale by opening up the heart and stitching shut the flap-like opening. This heart surgery can be done using a very small incision and may be performed using robotic techniques.

If you or your child is having surgery to correct another heart problem, your doctor may recommend that you have the patent foramen ovale corrected surgically at the same time.

An 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). Some small atrial septal defects close during infancy or early childhood. However, a large, long-standing atrial septal defect can damage your heart and lungs. Surgery or device closure might be necessary to repair atrial septal defects to prevent complications.

The left atrial appendage (LAA) is a small portion off the left wall of the primary atrium of your heart where blood has the risk of pooling, potentially causing a blood clot leading to a stroke. If your doctors believe this is a cause for concern for you, you might benefit from a WATCHMAN Device.

The WATCHMAN Device is an implant designed to prevent blood clots from escaping the heart and entering the bloodstream. It is a small device — the size of a quarter once implanted and expanded — that is implanted into your LAA. The WATCHMAN Device has been found to offer as much protection from stroke as blood thinners.

The entire procedure takes about one hour, and a major benefit of the WATCHMAN is its quick recovery. After the device is implanted, you may be released from the hospital within 24 hours.

A stent — a small, metal mesh tube — is attached to the wall of your aorta, where the aneurysm is located. The aneurysm will eventually shrink around the stent, and will not be able to bleed out into your body.