Heart Valve Disease Treatment

At Baptist Health, we combine the quality care you need with the personal touch you deserve to deliver the treatment that’s most beneficial for you. Our goal is to help our patients live healthier lives so they can be there for what matters most. When it comes to care, you can count on Baptist Health.

5 million

More than five million Americans are diagnosed with heart valve disease each year.
4 valves

Heart valve disease can occur in one or more of the four valves, but diseases of the aortic and mitral valves are most common.

What is Heart Valve Disease?

Your heart has four valves — the aortic, mitral, pulmonary and tricuspid — that make sure your blood flows in the right direction. When one or more of them doesn’t open or close correctly, you have heart valve disease. This condition can be caused by:

Age
Birth defects
Heart failure changes
Infections
Plaque or calcium buildup (atherosclerosis)

Over time, if your heart valve disease is left untreated, you can develop one of two problems:

Regurgitation: When blood flows backward or leaks through your valves into your lungs, liver or extremities
Stenosis: When your heart valves get thick or stiff, preventing the valve from opening fully and restricting blood flow

Heart Valve Disease Symptoms

Heart valve disease symptoms vary by person. Some people won’t have symptoms. But individuals who have severe disease may experience symptoms that appear suddenly.

If you experience any of these signs, talk with your doctor:

Abdominal swelling
Chest pain
Dizziness
Fainting
Fatigue
Irregular heartbeat
Shortness of breath (especially during activity or lying down)
Swelling in your ankles and feet
Whooshing sound when your doctor listens to your heart through a stethoscope

Diagnosing Heart Valve Disease

Everyone experiences different symptoms of heart valve disease. So, we use leading-edge diagnostic heart testing tools to evaluate your heart and get the answers you need. With cardiac computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, we capture detailed pictures of your heart quickly and in a noninvasive way.

For the most accurate diagnosis, we can also use a transesophageal echocardiogram — sliding a camera down your throat. This procedure gets the clearest view of your heart so our team can create an individualized treatment plan.

The highly skilled, expert surgeons in our heart valve program are trained to deliver the best surgical care through traditional and minimally invasive procedures. They also use sophisticated devices that enhance the safety of your surgery. Talk with your doctor about the surgery option that is best for you.

A minimally invasive device used for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), offering an alternative to open-heart surgery by delivering a replacement valve through a catheter, typically inserted through the femoral artery, to treat aortic valve stenosis.
These devices capture any chunks of plaque that break off in your blood vessels during angioplasty and stenting.
When one of your heart valves is damaged, your surgeon will implant a replacement valve during either open or minimally invasive surgery. Some valves are made from cow or pig tissue, and others are prosthetic (metal or plastic).
In this minimally invasive procedure, your surgeon uses X-ray guidance to thread a long, thin tube (a catheter) through a small cut (incision) in your groin or chest to your aortic valve. Using special tools, they implant a replacement aortic valve.
During this minimally invasive procedure, your surgeon uses ultrasound guidance to thread a catheter carrying a small device called MitraClip® through an incision in your groin up to your heart. They use MitraClip® to help the mitral valve close better and stop leaking.
In this open or minimally invasive procedure, your surgeon will repair or replace your damaged or diseased heart valve. We can perform this procedure on any of your four heart valves.

Pioneering the Cures of Tomorrow

Heart valve disease treatment is constantly evolving, and we’re at the forefront of these changes. We’re excited when new developments open effective treatments to more patients.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration recently approved the use of MitraClip to treat patients who have severe and difficult-to-treat heart failure. This small device can be implanted in a minimally invasive procedure to stop leaking in the mitral valve.

We will work closely with you to determine if this is a good treatment option for you.

Meet Our Heart Valve Disease Specialists

Our team of heart valve disease specialists bring together a broad skill set that ensures you receive the highest level of care available. Our cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons work closely together in our heart valve program to give you the best outcomes possible. Learn more about them.

To schedule with our team of physicians in Miami-Dade County, call 786-596-1230

To schedule with our team of physicians in Palm Beach County, call 561-955-6300

At Baptist Health, we combine the quality care you need with the personal touch you deserve to deliver the treatment that’s most beneficial for you. Our goal is to help our patients live healthier lives so they can be there for what matters most. When it comes to care, you can count on Baptist Health.

Heart & Vascular Care - OLD

Baptist Health

What is Heart Valve Disease?

Heart Valve Disease Symptoms

Diagnosing Heart Valve Disease