Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center offers patients minimally invasive valve repair and replacement procedures. Credit: AdobeStock

Inside your heart are four valves that act as traffic cops to ensure that blood flows in the correct manner. Sometimes these valves may become damaged, which may cause blood to back up into the heart (called regurgitation) or not allow blood to pass through properly (stenosis). Valve problems may arise from several conditions, including birth defects, calcium deposits or infections.

The benefits of minimally invasive heart valve surgery may include:

• Less bleeding during the surgery, which minimizes the need for blood transfusions
• Lower infection risks
• Less pain
• Smaller incisions and scars
• Shorter hospital stay
• Faster recovery time

Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center offers patients minimally invasive valve repair and replacement procedures. The hospital is now able to perform minimally invasive surgery for several heart valve diseases. Dr. Nishant Patel, cardiothoracic surgeon, has performed over 100 of these operations at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center.

These procedures are a breakthrough in our community, and we are looking forward to providing this level of care to patients at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. Unlike traditional open heart surgery, where the breast bone must be surgically separated, minimally invasive valve surgery is performed through a small incision between the ribs. This allows for less pain and scarring and a faster return to your daily activities.

These procedures are a breakthrough in our community, and we are looking forward to providing this level of care to patients at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. Credit: AbobeStock

The following minimally invasive procedures are now being offered at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center:

Mitral valve repair and replacement
Mitral Valve Disease treatment depends on the severity of the condition, if you’re experiencing symptoms, and if your condition is worsening. Patients who may benefit include those suffering from mitral regurgitation, mitral valve, prolapse or mitral valve stenosis.

Tricuspid repair and replacement
For patients suffering from Tricuspid Valve Disease, such as tricuspid stenosis or tricuspid regurgitation, these treatments either repair the valve with annuloplasty or replace the valve entirely.

Aortic valve replacement
Patients with aortic stenosis, a condition in which the aortic valve doesn’t open fully and results in reduced forward blood flow from the heart, or aortic regurgitation, a condition where the aortic valve does not close all of the way, resulting in blood leaking back into the heart, may need surgery to replace their aortic valve with either a mechanical or biological heart valve.

Surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation
For patients who have atrial fibrillation with or without valve disease. Incisions are made in a specific pattern, with a scalpel, a cryoblation device that destroys tissue by freezing it, or radiofrequency that destroys tissue using energy. This directs the heart’s electrical impulses to the heart’s lower chambers. The scar tissue that develops helps blocks the electrical signals that trigger atrial fibrillation.

Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) repair
An Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) is a hole in the heart’s upper septum. The atrial septum is a membranous wall that runs between the right and left sides of the upper heart. This defect is hereditary, and if left untreated, a substantial mixing of oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood may occur. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fainting, irregular heart rhythms or fatigue after mild activity or exercise. Sometimes, a stroke may be the first warning sign of the defect. In some cases, an ASD may be closed through a closure device through the groin.

Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) repair
A Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) is a small opening between the upper chambers of the heart. A PFO may potentially allow hazardous clots to enter from the right side of the heart to the left and travel to the brain, ultimately causing a stroke. In some cases, a PFO may be closed through a closure device.

Excision of cardiac tumors
Tumors in the upper chambers of the heart, called atrial myxomas, can be safely removed in a minimally invasive fashion. These tumors are often benign but can lead to embolization, stroke and heart failure.

Why should you choose Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center? We were the first hospital in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast to perform open-heart surgery, and we’ve remained one of the area’s leading heart hospitals ever since.

• 100,000+ Cardiac Catheterizations
• 19,000+ Open-Heart Surgeries (1983-present)
• 800+ TAVR Procedures (2013-present)
• 300+ MitraClip Procedures (2014-present)
• 100+ Minimally Invasive Heart Surgeries (2021-Present)
• 50+ Convergent Procedures (2014-present)
• 250+ Watchman Procedures (2017-present)
• Only hospital in Palm Beach County to receive the 2023 Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award from Healthgrades
• Only hospital in Palm Beach County to receive 2023 Five Star Award for Valve Surgery from Healthgrades

Rest assured; your heart is in experienced hands at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. For a complimentary referral to a physician near you, call 866-956-8172 or visit www.pbgmc.com/cardiac.