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Heart and valve care
Cardiologists and heart surgeons at Ascension Illinois in Chicagoland deliver advanced heart and valve care.
Heart and valve care in Chicagoland
Cardiologists and heart surgeons at Ascension Illinois in Chicagoland deliver advanced heart and valve care.
Why choose us
When you need advanced, specialized care for heart valve and structural heart conditions, Ascension Illinois delivers advanced diagnostics and imaging, minimally invasive therapies, surgical care, and rehabilitation support. From treatment through recovery,we provide personalized, compassionate heart care that’s right for you.
Ascension Alexian Brothers Valve Clinic, part of Ascension Illinois Heart and Vascular Institute, has provided innovative, high-quality valve care since 2014. Our team has performed thousands of procedures, including over 400 transcatheter interventions in the past year.
As part of a multidisciplinary structural heart team, interventional cardiologists, imaging specialists, cardiothoracic surgeons and other experts collaborate to make the best recommendations as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Many patients having elective transcatheter interventions are discharged home the same day or the day after the procedure.
Understand your heart valve disease
Cardiologists at Ascension Illinois specialize in heart and valve disease, which is when one or more heart valves don’t work properly. The valves normally keep blood flow moving forward in one direction. And they prevent the backward flow of blood as it leaves each chamber of the heart.
There are two main types of heart valve disease:
- Leakage of the valve (regurgitation or insufficiency): When the valve does not close completely, it causes blood to flow backward through the valve. This reduces forward blood flow and can lead to volume overload in the heart.
- Narrowing of the valve (stenosis): When the valve opening becomes narrowed, it limits the blood flow out of the heart. The heart is forced to pump blood with more force to move blood through the narrowed or stiff valve.
Heart valves can develop both regurgitation and stenosis at the same time. Also, more than one heart valve can be affected at the same time.
Structural heart care also includes minimally invasive therapies for conditions affecting the heart’s valves and structures, including stroke-risk reduction procedures and catheter-based valve repair options. These advanced treatment options can help improve blood flow. Reduce symptoms, and lower stroke risk for some patients without open-heart surgery.
Symptoms of heart valve disease
Common symptoms of heart valve disease and heart arrhythmias include:
- Chest pain
- Fluttering heartbeat (palpitations)
- Severe tiredness (fatigue)
- Dizziness or fainting
- Low or high blood pressure, depending on the type of valve disease
- Shortness of breath with activity or rest
- Belly pain because of an enlarged liver (if the tricuspid valve isn’t working correctly)
- Swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, abdomen, or veins in the neck
Conditions we treat
Ascension Illinois treats a wide variety of heart valve and structural heart conditions, including:
- Aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation
- Mitral stenosis and mitral regurgitation
- Mitral valve prolapse and rheumatic valve disease
- Tricuspid and pulmonary valve disease
- Atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO)
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Peri-valvular leak and radiation-induced valve disease
How we diagnose heart valve disease
Your doctor may think you have heart valve disease if your heart doesn’t sound right through a stethoscope. They may hear abnormal sounds because of abnormal blood flow across a valve.
A tiny, hollow tube (catheter) is put through a large artery or vein in the leg or arm leading to the heart. It measures heart pressure. Contrast dye is injected so the healthcare provider can see images of the heart and blood vessels.
This test makes images of internal tissues, bones, and organs on film. An X-ray can show enlargement in any area of the heart.
This test uses X-rays and a computer to make images of organs and structures within the body. Contrast dye is often used to help make out the structures of the heart, including the heart valves.
Cardiac CT angiography is also used to help plan transcatheter valve procedures such as TAVR.
This test uses sound waves (ultrasound) to evaluate the heart’s chambers and valves. An image on a screen is created as an ultrasound probe (transducer) is passed over the heart. This is the best test for looking at heart valve function.
This test records the electrical activity of the heart and shows abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias). It can also sometimes detect heart muscle damage.
This test uses a combination of large magnets, radio waves, and a computer to make images of organs and structures in the body.
This test records images of your heart before and after you exercise. If you are unable to exercise, medicine may be given to raise your heart rate. A stress test helps your healthcare provider evaluate your heart when it's working hard.
A small ultrasound probe is passed down into the esophagus. The sound waves create an image of the valves and chambers of the heart on a computer screen without the ribs or lungs getting in the way.
How we treat heart valve disease
Treatment for heart valve disease may include medication, therapy or surgery.
Our facility also provides advanced heart failure support, including active extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and left ventricular assist device (LVAD) programs when
needed.
When traditional TAVR approaches can’t be used, our team has extensive experience in alternative access techniques, including transcarotid, transapical and transaxillary approaches.
For this nonsurgical procedure, a special hollow tube (catheter) is put into a blood vessel in the groin and guided into the heart. At the tip of the catheter is a deflated balloon that is inserted into the narrowed heart valve. Once in place, the balloon is inflated to stretch the valve open, and then removed. This procedure is only used to treat stenotic (narrowed) valves.
For some patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib), a device may be used to close off the left atrial appendage to reduce stroke risk and minimize the need for long-term blood thinners.
Your cardiologist may recommend medications to help manage your heart condition. Mediation may be used to lower blood pressure, prevent blood clots, lower cholesterol and more.
In some cases, a minimally invasive procedure may be used to close leaks around a prior surgical or transcatheter valve replacement.
For this nonsurgical procedure, a new aortic valve is placed inside the older narrowed valve. This is done using catheters, balloons, and wires inserted through the arteries of the groin. Or in some cases, they may be inserted through the arteries of the arms or the apex of the heart. This procedure is currently used mostly for aortic stenosis, although it is being studied for use for aortic regurgitation.
Minimally invasive edge-to-edge repair procedures may be used to treat leaking mitral or tricuspid valves, helping improve symptoms and blood flow without open-heart surgery.
These are minimally invasive procedures. The healthcare provider replaces the heart valves. It's done through an artery (for the aortic valve) or a vein (for the tricuspid, pulmonary, or mitral valve) and is often performed from the groin.
For some patients who have previously had a valve replacement, a new valve may be placed inside the existing valve using a minimally invasive catheter-based approach.
Cardiac surgeons treat complex heart valve disease to repair damaged heart valves through open heart surgery and minimally invasive procedures, including TAVR and MitraClip™. When one or both of your valves do not open or close correctly, it can lead to reduced blood flow, cause the heart to work harder, and result in symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting, or even heart failure.
Our unique approach
- Most patients receive a treatment recommendation after one comprehensive visit
- Dedicated same-day CT angiography slots for many TAVR patients
- Rapid treatment options, with valve replacement offered within one week for most TAVR patients
- Access to on-site outpatient cardiac rehabilitation after surgical or transcatheter procedures
- Research and clinical trial opportunities available
Get a second opinion from a heart specialist
Decisions about your heart care are important. Getting a second opinion not only provides more information about your condition, but it can help you feel more confident in the doctor and the care plan you choose. Consider getting a second opinion if:
- Your diagnosis or prognosis is unclear
- You’ve been told you have a rare or life-threatening condition
- You would like to explore other treatment options
- Your treatment options are costly or risky
- You want to hear an opinion from another specialist
- Your insurance requires a second opinion
How to get care
To make an appointment, a referral should be made by your primary care doctor or another specialist. Once the referral is received and reviewed, you will be contacted to schedule an appointment with a cardiologist.
If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, go directly to the ER or call 911.
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