Innovative, less invasive surgical techniques for heart disease
At Lankenau Heart Institute just minutes away from Philadelphia, we treat structural heart and valvular disease that other centers have deemed untreatable. Our team of cardiologists, imaging specialists, interventionists and surgeons is among the most experienced in the region. We use a team-based approach and are renowned for developing and performing advanced, minimally invasive surgical techniques whenever possible.
We were among the first in the nation to have access to MitraClip, a device that controls blood from flowing backwards into your heart (mitral valve regurgitation) without the use of open-heart surgery. On our team are the most experienced MitraClip implanters in the state of Pennsylvania.
For our patients with aortic stenosis, we have led the way in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), another groundbreaking and minimally invasive procedure that allows us to replace the aortic valve by way of a catheter insertion in the groin (transfemoral), a small chest incision (transapical) or the ascending aorta (transaortic).
We have performed more than 1000 TAVR procedures since 2012 and we’re among the top 10 percent of TAVR teams in the nation, performing 100 to 200 TAVRs per year.
Our structural and valvular heart team offers a range of surgical and transcatheter treatments for individuals with severe or symptomatic heart valve disease, including:
- Minimally invasive surgical aortic valve repair or replacement
- Minimally invasive surgical mitral valve repair or replacement
- Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
- Transcatheter mitral valve repair (MitraClip®)
- Balloon valvuloplasty
- Paravalvular leak closure
- Left atrial appendage closure (Watchman)
- Traditional or open heart valve surgery
- Cardiac defect closure
We also treat patients who need re-operation for valve disease as well as those who have valve disease related to prior chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
81 percent of all isolated aortic valve procedures and 91 percent of all isolated mitral valve procedures at Lankenau Medical Center are performed using minimally invasive techniques.
Why choose Lankenau Heart Institute for heart valve disease care
People come to Lankenau for world-class cardiac care that includes:
- Expertise with novel treatments. As leading experts in transcatheter mitral valve repair procedures we’re able to provide a minimally invasive option to patients with mitral valve regurgitation. The benefits to our patients include less recovery time, less risk of infection, and an almost immediate improvement in symptoms and quality of life.
- More than 1000 TAVR procedures have been performed since 2012. As one of the first medical centers in Pennsylvania to perform this advanced, minimally invasive surgical technique, we have significant experience with this procedure and continue to exceed our program benchmarks for TAVR excellence.
- Minimally invasive valve surgeries for greater precision, less recovery time. For mitral valve repair on select patients we use an endoscopic approach, which usually requires a two-inch incision and two port sites of less than a quarter of an inch. This approach results in less blood loss, less chance of infection, shorter hospital stays, minimal scarring and quicker return to everyday activities. In 2015, 87 percent of mitral valve procedures were repairs rather than replacements.
In 2015, 87 percent of mitral valve procedures were repairs rather than replacements.
Cardiovascular clinical trials at Main Line Health
Main Line Health uses clinical trials to help prevent, diagnose and treat the full range of heart and vascular conditions. Learn more about the cardiovascular clinical trials currently being offered by our renowned cardiologists and heart and vascular surgeons.
U.S. News & World Report has rated Lankenau Medical Center as High Performing for cardiology & heart surgery, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for 2022-2023.
