Cardiologists at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart in Middle Tennessee provide advanced care for leaky heart valves and other aortic valve disorders.
Cardiologists at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart in Middle Tennessee provide advanced care for leaky heart valves and other aortic valve disorders.
When you choose Ascension Saint Thomas Heart, you get an entire team dedicated to your heart care. Your heart doctor works with you on a care plan and connects the dots for your care when you need a specialist. If you have leaky heart valves or other aortic conditions, your heart care team is ready to answer your questions and make sure you have the information to make the right choices for your care.
Aortic valve disorders occur when the valve that controls blood flow from your heart to your body doesn’t open or close properly. This can make it harder for your heart to pump blood. Some aortic diseases begin at birth. Aortic valve disorders involve different parts of the heart and blood vessels, including the aortic valve and the aorta.
Aortic valve disorders we treat:
Aortic artery diseases we treat:
Aortic congenital heart diseases we treat:
At Ascension Saint Thomas Heart, our heart specialists provide personalized care to diagnose and treat aortic valve disease, including leaky heart valves. We also care for aortic diseases such as aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection and atherosclerosis of the aorta.
Symptoms of aortic valve disorders may include:
Symptoms of a leaky aortic heart valve may also include:
Treatment for aortic valve disorders may include medication, therapy or surgery. Ascension Saint Thomas Heart is a national leader in minimally invasive approaches to treat many heart valve conditions. If you have aortic valve disease, your doctor may recommend replacing your aortic valve.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a procedure that replaces a diseased aortic valve with a man-made valve. The TAVR procedure may be recommended as an alternative to open heart surgery. The old heart valve is not removed but acts like an anchor for the new heart valve. This procedure is done through small cuts (incisions) using a long, thin tube (catheter), X-rays, and ultrasound.
This service requires a referral.
When you’re facing a new diagnosis or are deciding on a surgical or therapeutic treatment plan, there’s a lot to think about. If you’re looking for a second opinion for advanced heart care, our cardiologists can connect you with specialists for minimally invasive surgery, including TAVR, MitraClip™, WATCHMAN™ and ablation.
Before your appointment, check with your insurance company to find out if a second opinion is covered. We can request your medical records on your behalf so they can be shared with your care team before your appointment.
Your patients can expect compassionate, personalized care from the moment our specialists connect with them. Our heart specialists start by listening to understand your patient’s needs and develop an individualized care plan.
To refer a patient to the Heart Aortic Center, call 615-22-AORTA or 855-284-2255.
If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, go directly to the ER or call 911.
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September 16, 2026
Dolores Campbell overcame stage 3 ovarian cancer after receiving swift, life-saving surgery and chemotherapy from Mali Schneiter, DO, at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown in Nashville.
August 5, 2026
After years of struggling, Rutherford resident Larina lost over 200 pounds following bariatric surgery with Dr. Stephen Rich at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford.
July 22, 2026
To fulfill an Ascension Living Alexian Village Tennessee resident’s dying wish, activities coordinator Amber Beam brought the New York Metropolitan Opera to Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Songwriter David Schmelhaus found life-saving care and spiritual strength during his battle with acute leukemia at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown in Nashville, Tenn.
April 24, 2026
Middle Tennessee resident Roy Zacharias found life-saving care for Stage 3 esophageal cancer from Dr. John Lazar at Ascension Saint Thomas West in Nashville.
January 28, 2026
At just 26 years old, a Nashville mother receives specialty heart care for women at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart Women’s Center during her second pregnancy.
January 28, 2026
After two decades of seeking care for her heart symptoms, a referral to the Women's Heart Center at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart in Nashville, TN, gives a great-grandmother more time to enjoy her growing family.
January 26, 2026
Dr. Robert Rampp, general and endocrine surgeon at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, helped a Murfreesboro native detect thyroid cancer and saved his life.
December 31, 2025
A Lascassas, Tenn., couple received a heart bypass and kidney transplant at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West on the same day, then recovered and went home together.
December 11, 2025
After years of struggling with her weight, Stephanie turned to Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford in Murfreesboro for bariatric surgery that changed her life.
December 5, 2025
In 2024, Dr. Stephen Rich, helps a patient with his bariatric journey at the Ascension Saint Thomas Bariatric Center.
November 17, 2025
A routine lung scan at Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville revealed a hidden tumor in 63-year-old Greg Hall, leading to life-saving treatment and recovery.
October 31, 2025
After undergoing bariatric surgery at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, Ellen regained the energy to fully enjoy life again.
October 24, 2025
Using advanced ION robotic technology, the care team at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford helped a Murfreesboro resident detect and treat lung cancer early.
In June 2016, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee resident Sharon Nowlin began her fight against ovarian cancer with Ascension Saint Thomas and Tennessee Oncology doctors Johnetta Blakley and Alpa Nick in Middle Tennessee.
Now 27, Morgan reflects on her journey with breast cancer and the care she received at the Ascension Saint Thomas Women’s Comprehensive Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
September 17, 2025
With the help of the Ascension Saint Thomas Joint Replacement Institute, a Nashville woman overcame joint pain and is now thriving on the set of ABC’s 9-1-1 Nashville.
July 8, 2025
Dr. Mark Manwaring, colon and rectal surgeon at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford in Murfreesboro, Tennessee helps a patient find answers to symptoms that suggest Crohn’s disease.
If incidents occur this Fourth of July, knowing where and when to get immediate and emergency care is important.
June 23, 2025
Ascension urgent care and orthopedic teams are here to help you manage your summer injury.
After being diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 2023, a Nashville resident turned to Ascension Saint Thomas West, where expert urologists Dr. Adnan Dervishi and Dr. Mark Sittig provided advanced prostate cancer care.
Over a decade later, Saint Thomas is relaunching the Nothing Shall Be Impossible campaign rooted in faith, driven by medical excellence, and growing to meet the needs of tomorrow.
Ascension Saint Thomas West Hospital in Nashville, TN, quickly responds to patients experiencing strokes and provides neurology and rehabilitation care to help with recovery.
In January 2024, longtime CNA discovered she had an ischemic stroke, and Dr. Lani Thomas performed a life-saving thrombectomy at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford in Murfreesboro, TN.
Dr. Bobby Rampp, general surgeon at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, performed robotic bilateral hernia surgery to relieve a former Foundation board member’s severe abdominal symptoms.
A Nashville woman shares her story of overcoming rectal cancer with early detection and support from Ascension Saint Thomas for Colon Cancer Awareness Month.
February 7, 2025
Dr. Robert Rampp, an endocrine surgeon with Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, helped treat a mother of three who found a thyroid nodule during a routine MRI.
Dr. Hannah Fish-Trotter, a cardiologist at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart, helped treat a mother of two with a diagnosis and treatment of a heart defect found after pregnancy.
Ascension Saint Thomas Heart is launching the Women's Program to transform cardiovascular care for women through prevention, early detection and a multi-disciplinary approach in Middle Tennessee.
Hayley Wielgus had a premature birth at Ascension Saint Thomas, where support from the care team helped her daughter thrive after a four-week NICU stay.
November 8, 2024
Thoracic surgeon Dr. John Lazar at Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville, Tennessee treated a patient’s severe airway condition with a robotic-assisted tracheobronchoplasty.
October 14, 2024
John McEuen, a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Bands is celebrating his life, thanks to the expert cardiac care he received at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West in Nashville.
September 26, 2024
Dr. Jason Barnett, a gynecologic oncologist at Tennessee Oncology, helped treat a mother of two with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer that had spread to other parts of her body while receiving care at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown.
John Spooner, MD, neurosurgeon at Howell Allen Clinic with Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville, TN, helps a grandmother with a large brain aneurysm get back to creating art.
Lung cancer teams at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West in Nashville, TN, perform Ion robotic bronchoscopy and resection for the first time in hospital history.
Mark A. Zenker, MD, cardiologist at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart's Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Clinic, research with CAMZYOS helps grandmother feel better.
Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West Kidney Transplant Center helps Nashville mom get a second chance with a hepatitis C kidney transplant.
Brooke got a second chance with a kidney transplant at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West Kidney Transplant Center in Nashville, TN.
September 26, 2023
Cardiologist Dr. Ricardo Lugo becomes Tennessee's first cardiologist to insert the Micra™ VR2 wireless pacemaker in a patient.
Knoxville man urgently receives a new heart and a second chance at life at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart in Nashville, TN.
Murfreesboro man gets emergency heart care when going into cardiac arrest during a prostate cancer removal at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford.
April 5, 2023
A Nashville couple turns to Ascension Saint Thomas Kidney Transplant Center for a kidney transplant, where a patient receives his wife's kidney.