Missouri Baptist Opens Clinic Devoted to Heart Valve Care

ST. LOUIS, May 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --  Missouri Baptist Medical Center cardiac surgeons and cardiologists are teaming up to provide better treatment options for patients with heart valve conditions.  The new Heart Valve Clinic at Missouri Baptist opens June 3, offering patients with heart valve disease access to several specialists at one time in order to expedite their care and help determine the optimal treatment protocol in a setting that is convenient for the patient.

"Valve disease is a complex condition, and the proper treatment sometimes can encompass the entire spectrum of medical care, interventional procedures and surgery. As patient conditions become more complex, a multidisciplinary approach often is needed to arrive at an optimal treatment plan for each patient.  Having patients evaluated by a team of cardiologists and surgeons during one visit serves the best interests of the patient," said Cardiac Surgeon Michael Mauney, who will co-lead the center.

The Heart Center at Missouri Baptist performed 324 valve surgeries last year, a 24 percent increase since 2007.  Of those, 182 required aortic valve repair or, more commonly, replacement.  The hospital's risk-adjusted mortality rates for isolated aortic valve replacement, averaged just 1.5 percent compared to 3.0 percent nationally since 2005 (STS National Cardiac Surgery Database).

In addition to complex valve work, its cardiothoracic surgeons are known for pioneering procedures to repair aortic aneurysms.  

Missouri Baptist also is looking to offer less invasive surgical and catheter-based aortic valve therapies in the near future.  "We believe these newer surgical and catheter-based approaches in a multidisciplinary setting, will provide life-saving treatment for patients previously thought to be too high a risk for interventions – as illustrated recently in the landmark PARTNER trial, which looked at medical, surgical, and catheter-based approaches for high risk aortic stenosis patients," said Mauney.

According to the American Heart Association, valve disease most often strikes either the mitral valve, which controls blood flow into the heart, or the aortic valve, which controls blood flow out of the heart. Valvular heart disease causes about 20,000 deaths per year in the United States. An estimated 95,000 inpatient valve procedures are performed per year in the United States.

Valve surgery is performed for two major conditions – leaking valves and blocked valves. Both conditions can lead to heart failure.  Valve surgery typically involves either valve replacement or valve repair.

At Missouri Baptist, surgeons have performed 3,198 valve procedures in 2,844 patients over the past ten years.  More than 25 percent of these cases required some degree of revascularization, and 12 percent involved more than one valve procedure.  "Because a large percentage of the patients we see have multiple heart problems, we often perform multiple procedures, like coronary bypass and valve surgery, together," said Mauney.

Heart Valve Conference:  In addition to the Heart Valve Clinic, Missouri Baptist also holds a weekly Heart Valve Conference with the entire team of cardiologists and surgeons to discuss cases and evaluate treatment protocols.  "This multidisciplinary approach to treatment insures high quality of care for the patients we serve and is a hallmark of our program," said Mauney.  

To make an appointment with the Heart Valve Clinic at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, call 314-996-LIFE (996-5433) or toll-free 1-800-392-0936.

About Missouri Baptist Medical Center:  

Missouri Baptist is a 489-bed acute-care hospital located at Highway 40 and I-270 in west St. Louis County, in Town and Country.  Recognized as a "Top 100 U.S. Hospital" by Thomson Reuters, "5-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Attacks" for the seventh consecutive year in Missouri by HealthGrades and "One of America's Safest Hospitals" by Forbes, Missouri Baptist offers a full continuum of medical and surgical services, and specializes in heart, cancer, gastrointestinal, orthopedic, neurological/spine and women's health services. Missouri Baptist provided care for 23,066 inpatients and 38,791 emergency patients in 2010. The hospital is designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP). It is also designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology (ACR). In addition, it is designated as a National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.  Missouri Baptist Medical Center is a member of BJC HealthCare, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States and the largest employer in St. Louis. Based in St. Louis, BJC serves residents in Missouri and southern Illinois through its 13 hospitals and multiple health service organizations.

SOURCE Missouri Baptist Medical Center