Heart Valve & Structural Heart Disease Program

Leading Catheter-Based Therapies in Utah

Our Heart Valve and Structural Heart Disease Program is Utah's leader in the research and development of catheter-based valve replacement and heart defect repair. Our cardiologists and surgeons have years of experience in performing these procedures, including those that have only recently been approved by the FDA:

• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for aortic valve stenosis
• Catheter-based mitral valve repair for mitral regurgitation (investigational)
• Left atrial appendage closure (stroke prevention in the setting of atrial fibrillation, investigational)
• Catheter-based closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO), atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD)
• Catheter-based paravalvular defect repair

The Field of Structural Heart Disease

Structural Heart Disease is a rapidly evolving specialty within interventional cardiology. Cardiologists and surgeons work in teams to treat heart defects with methods that are less invasive than open heart surgery.

For many years, physicians have been able to take images or place stents using a catheter. Now, physicians can perform more complex, "catheter-based" therapies including valve and structural defect repairs.

The use of catheter-based repairs is expanding at an incredible rate. While many of these therapies are in the investigational phase, numerous trials are ongoing and the excitement is palpable. Some of these technologies may eventually become the standard of care, while others will remain options for patients who are not candidates for heart surgery.

Hybrid Catheterization Laboratory/
Operating Room

Intermountain Heart Institute's state-of-the-art facility includes hybrid catheterization/operating rooms. Here, doctors can perform both open heart surgery and catheter-based procedures guided by fluoroscopy and ultrasound. The hybrid room is an optimal clinical space for interventional cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons to collaborate. The space allows our program's team to provide unparalleled comprehensive care to challenging, high-risk patients.