FALL RIVER, Mass. — Southcoast^® Health announced today that it is the only healthcare system performing transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, in all of Southeastern Massachusetts. TAVR is a highly-specialized valve replacement surgery that eliminates the need for open-heart surgery and gives new hope and relief from pain to high-risk patients with heart valve disease.

With the introduction of TAVR, Southcoast Health further increases its vast array of cardiovascular services — open heart procedures, cardiac catheterizations, coronary angioplasty and cardiac implantable devices. The procedure is offered through the new Southcoast Structural Heart Program at Charlton Memorial Hospital.

“TAVR specifically, and the Structural Heart Program in general, benefits patients with valve disease, congenital heart disease, connective tissue disease and complex coronary disease,” said Margaret Ferrell, MD, Physician-in-Chief of Southcoast Health’s Cardiovascular Care Center. “Now, individuals afflicted with those kinds of conditions have local access to evaluation and treatment through a multidisciplinary service model at Southcoast.”

TAVR is a minimally-invasive approach that uses catheters to replace a tight (stenotic) aortic valve. Once replaced, patients will often see symptom improvements and will live longer. The introduction of TAVR is a crucial advancement in care because many people dealing with stenotic aortic valves are elderly and can be high-risk surgical candidates because of other medical conditions.

“Many of these patients would not have received therapy previously because the risks involved with open-heart surgery were too high,” said Adam Saltzman, MD, Medical Director of the Structural Heart Program, and the leader of the TAVR team at Southcoast Health. “TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure that offers a new alternative to patients who desperately need a valve replacement. We’re seeing great results with our TAVR patients.”

Dr. Saltzman, who is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular medicine and interventional cardiology, began performing TAVR during his tenure at Massachusetts General Hospital and introduced the procedure at Southcoast Health. He is a specialist in catheter-based complex coronary interventions and valve procedures, as well as transcatheter therapies for congenital heart disease. Dr. Saltzman performs the procedure at Charlton Memorial Hospital in tandem with Drs. James Fingleton, Iraklis Gerogiannis, Christopher Abadi, Franklin Schneider and Mitchel Sklar.

“TAVR is another addition to a growing list of highly-advanced cardiac procedures that are being performed right here at Southcoast,” said Dr. Ferrell. “The talent level of the physicians on our TAVR team is second to none. People in Southeastern Massachusetts are now getting the same level of care as in Boston or Providence right in their own backyard.”

Patients develop aortic stenosis (tightening of the aortic valve) as they age and as calcium builds up on their heart valve, restricting valve mobility, and preventing proper blood flow. It is believed that up to 1.5 million people in the United States suffer from aortic stenosis. Of that population, approximately 250,000 suffer from severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, often developing debilitating symptoms such as chest pain, loss of consciousness and heart failure. The condition typically becomes severe in patients in their 70s, 80s and 90s who are often suffering from other medical conditions, making open-heart surgery too risky. Once symptoms develop, the mortality rate is 50 percent over two years.

During a TAVR procedure a catheter is inserted into a patient’s body via an artery in the leg or between the ribs by the left breast. The catheter carries a balloon-expandable heart valve, which is advanced into the heart and placed inside the aortic valve. The balloon expands the new valve, compressing the diseased valve against the wall of the aorta, essentially taking its place and functioning as a new valve. Patients are typically in the hospital for three to five days after the procedure.

“The catheter is inserted through a two to three-inch incision in the leg or under the left breast, and run up an artery to the heart,” Dr. Saltzman said. “Overall, recovery is easier with this minimally invasive approach, making it possible for the patient to be active sooner. That is particularly important in this older and often more frail patient population.”

About Southcoast Structural Heart Program

            The Southcoast Structural Heart Program, led by renowned cardiologist Adam J. Saltzman, MD, is the only program of its kind in the region and one of only a handful of dedicated structural heart programs in all of New England.

Structural heart disease encompasses patients with valvular disease, congenital heart disease, connective tissue disease and complex coronary disease, among other conditions. It is the management of heart disease that may not involve coronary arteries or the electrical system of the heart. Patients, who in the past have needed to travel outside the region, are now able to be evaluated and treated at Charlton Memorial Hospital by a multidisciplinary cardiac team that includes cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and support staff who work together with referring physicians to develop a specialized treatment plan for each patient.

About Adam J. Saltzman, MD

A graduate of the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Dr. Saltzman completed his residency in internal medicine at Columbia University in New York City where he was recognized as a chief resident. He then completed a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at Columbia University before returning to Boston to complete fellowships in interventional cardiology and structural heart disease at Massachusetts General Hospital where he continues to have privileges as a Clinical Associate in Medicine.

Dr. Saltzman is a specialist in catheter-based complex coronary interventions and valve procedures, as well as transcatheter therapies for congenital heart disease. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular medicine, and interventional cardiology. For more information or to make an appointment, call 855-200-8284.

About Southcoast Cardiovascular Services

Southcoast Health is the leader of cardiac services in the region. The Southcoast Cardiovascular Service program provides a broad spectrum of cardiovascular services locally, including open heart procedures, cardiac catheterizations, coronary angioplasty and cardiac implantable devices. Southcoast performs more cardiac catheterizations than any other community hospital system in Massachusetts, with approximately 60 percent of patients needing advanced treatment such as coronary artery bypass or angioplasty. Southcoast’s state-of-the-art Electrophysiology Laboratories at Charlton Memorial Hospital provides diagnostic testing for cardiac arrhythmias as well as invasive electrophysiology procedures such as arrhythmia ablations.

Southcoast’s heart program continues to grow with the recent addition of the new Southcoast Structural Heart Program. The Southcoast Structural Heart Program is the only program of its kind in the region and one of only a handful of dedicated structural heart programs in all of New England. 

Southcoast’s cardiac surgery program has brought unprecedented access to advanced cardiac services to the region and has received exemplary reviews and outstanding patient satisfaction since its inception including ranking as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for heart care and surgery by Healthgrades®, the nation’s leading, independent source of physician information and hospital quality ratings.

Healthgrades 2014 clinical achievements for Southcoast hospitals include recognition as one of Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care™ and Cardiac Surgery™ for three years in a row, recipient of the Healthgrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award™ and ranking in the top ten percent in the U.S. for overall cardiac services for eight years in a row, recipient of the Healthgrades Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award™ and ranking in the top five percent in the U.S. for cardiac surgery for three years in a row, as well as five-star ratings for coronary bypass surgery, valve surgery, coronary interventional procedures and treatment of heart attacks.

For more information about Southcoast Cardiovascular Services, visit www.southcoast.org/heart/.

About Southcoast Health & Southcoast Hospitals Group

Southcoast Health is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.

Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty and heart rhythm services, comprehensive cancer care, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery, plastic surgery, hand surgery, orthopedic surgery, advanced imaging services and is the only provider of maternity services in the region.

Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of the community to provide services. More information is available online at www.southcoast.org. Connect to Southcoast through social media at www.southcoast.org/connect/.

Southcoast^® is a registered trademark of Southcoast Health System Inc.