After 10 Years UH Continues to Innovate with TAVR

Two new clinical trials aim to refine and expand the indications for the procedure

UHCMC Quarterly Update | May 2021

Building on 10 years of experience with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons with UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute have launched two new trials aimed at further refining the procedure and expanding the number of people who might benefit from it.

The SMART trial is evaluating which specific replacement valve is the best option for patients with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis who have a small aortic annulus, which includes many women. The EXPAND TAVR trial is testing whether current guidelines for the procedure should be expanded to include people with symptomatic moderate and asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis.

These two TAVR clinical trials are just the latest innovations in the procedure at UH. Over the past 10 years, UH interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons have pioneered a minimalist approach, performing the procedure while the patient is awake and talking, all while indications for the procedure have changed dramatically. What was once a procedure just offered in a clinical trial for extreme and high risk patients is now offered as an FDA-approved option for patients at low risk.

Read the full article from University Hospitals.

Enhancing Quality and Patient Experience for Cardiovascular Patients

Quality and patient experience are at the core of a recent restructuring of processes and procedures in the UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute at UH Cleveland Medical Center. These efforts, including streamlined transfers, redesigned CICU processes, enhanced floor and consult services, and the addition of a new step-down unit, will lead to increased capacity, better patient experience, and improved outcomes.

Led by Mehdi Shishehbor, DO, MPH, PhD; Sanjay Rajagopalan, MD; Ravi Ramani, MD; and Michael Zacharias, DO, the restructuring builds on a long tradition of excellence at the UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute.

“The entire team – nursing, advanced practice providers, physicians, fellows, and UH Cleveland leadership, has really come together to raise the bar for cardiovascular services,” says Dr. Ramani. “These efforts will help our patients get the care they need, 24/7/365.”