MedStar Union Memorial Hospital is First in State to Offer New Self Expanding Aortic Valve
Advanced Technology Offers Hope to Qualified Patients Needing Replacement
BALTIMORE— Dr. John Wang, chief of the cardiac catheterization lab, and his team at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, used a revolutionary new self-expanding aortic replacement valve in the hearts of two women, each suffering from severe aortic valve stenosis. The women became the first in the Maryland to receive the Centera transcatheter aortic valve which only became available in the United States for the treatment of intermediate surgical-risk patients through the EXCEED clinical trial in October. The Centera valve was approved in Europe last February.
MedStar Washington Hospital Center in DC, a sister hospital of MedStar Union Memorial, has successfully implanted eight of the new valves. Combined with today’s two implants, MedStar Health can account for nearly a third of the total implants of this new technology in the U.S.
“We are extremely excited to be able to offer this novel technology to our patients,” said Dr. Wang, an industry leader in cardiac catheterizations. “It is yet another example of MedStar Union Memorial Hospital being on the cutting edge of cardiac care and offering tomorrow’s technology today.”
The Edwards Centera valve is a novel repositionable and retrievable self-expanding valve that is deployed with a motorized handle. It comes packaged with the valve fully pre-attached to the delivery system, which simplifies and expedites device preparation.
Aortic stenosis is one of the most common valve problems and severe cases can be life threatening. The result of it causes a narrowing of the aortic valve opening, restricting blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta. Valve replacement surgery has been the standard of care for patients with symptoms that include breathlessness, chest pain, pressure, fainting, palpitations, lethargy and a heart murmur.
Patients with aortic stenosis should discuss with their doctor whether they qualify for the Centera valve as part of the EXCEED clinical trial.
#
About the MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute
MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute is a network of highly acclaimed and nationally recognized cardiac experts and care programs spanning all 10 MedStar Health hospitals in the mid-Atlantic region. In the Baltimore area, MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute experts are accessible at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, MedStar Harbor Hospital, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, and more than a dozen community locations. MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital is allied with the Cleveland Clinic, the nation’s #1 heart program, giving patients accelerated access to the most advanced research, technologies and techniques in cardiology and cardiac surgery. This alliance also strengthens excellent clinical care and enables high-level collaboration on research.
About MedStar Health
MedStar Health is a not-for-profit health system dedicated to caring for people in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, while advancing the practice of medicine through education, innovation and research. MedStar’s 30,000 associates, 6,000 affiliated physicians, 10 hospitals, ambulatory care and urgent care centers, and the MedStar Health Research Institute are recognized regionally and nationally for excellence in medical care. As the medical education and clinical partner of Georgetown University, MedStar trains more than 1,100 medical residents annually. MedStar Health’s patient-first philosophy combines care, compassion and clinical excellence with an emphasis on customer service.
For more information, visit MedStarHealth.org.