New pulmonary valve benefits quality, length of life

PEORIA, Ill., Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 500,000 people undergo open-heart surgery a year in the United States. New technology being used by OSF HealthCare is hoping to bring that number down.

Starting this year, OSF began offering the Alterra Pre Stent to patients in Peoria. The FDA-approved valve consists of a catheter-based stent (called Alterra), an artificial heart valve (SAPIEN 3) and the opportunity to implant the stent and valve without the need for open-heart surgery.

Priti Patel, MD, is the director of the Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory for OSF HealthCare. She says this new technology will expand peoples' lives and enhance their quality of life.

"The advantage of the procedure is that the patient is up and awake, walking around after six hours. They get to go home the next day," Dr. Patel says. "With open-heart surgery, they are in the hospital for a longer period of time, and they have to recover from the sternotomy. Here, there is no recovery. There are no stitches in the groin, and they are going back to school or work the following day."

The abovementioned sternotomy is a procedure where a surgical incision is made through the breastbone (sternum) to access the thoracic cavity for open-heart surgery.

"The goal is to prevent repeated open-heart surgeries. The more sternotomies and open-heart surgeries they have, the more risk they have each time. With this, you can prevent that from happening," Dr. Patel adds. "You can do the procedure and see the results right away. The patients feel good when they wake up, because it is easy to breathe."

Dr. Patel says the new pulmonary valve is supposed to last 10 years. This current pulmonary valve that is in place allows you to be ready for another less-invasive procedure when the time comes.

"Now when it's needed, you can put multiple valves inside it. So, you can get these 40-50 years out without needing any open-heart surgeries," Dr. Patel says.

Dr. Patel and her team administered four pulmonary valves in patients this spring, with two more procedures planned in August. These procedures happen at the OSF HealthCare Children's Hospital of Illinois Congenital Heart Center located at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center. Dr. Patel says these patients come from all across the State of Illinois and can continue their health journey with their care team at OSF. They can perform the procedures on people of all ages.

Additional assets including video, audio clips, and photos are available on the OSF Newsroom.

OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. OSF HealthCare has 15 hospitals – 10 acute care, five critical access - with 2,084 licensed beds throughout Illinois and Michigan. OSF employs nearly 24,000 Mission Partners throughout 150+ locations; has two colleges of nursing; operates OSF Home Care Services, an extensive network of home health and hospice services; owns Pointcore, Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses; OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization; and OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. OSF OnCall, a digital health operating unit, was established in 2020 to improve patient experience, using digital tools for 24-7 communication, on-demand care, remote patient monitoring, and offers the largest hospital-at-home program in Illinois. OSF HealthCare has been recognized by Fortune as one of the most innovative companies in the country. More at osfhealthcare.org.

Contact: Matt Sheehan, Media Relations Coordinator, OSF HealthCare | (309) 308-5015

SOURCE OSF HealthCare