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Heart and valve care in Middle Tennessee


Ascension Saint Thomas Heart provides leading care for heart valve and structural heart disorders.
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When you need advanced, specialized care for heart valve and structural heart conditions, Ascension Saint Thomas Heart 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.

Your care team includes cardiologists, cardiac imaging specialists, interventional cardiologists, heart failure specialists, heart rhythm specialists (electrophysiologists) and cardiac surgeons. Your doctor starts by listening to better understand you and your health concerns. Then, we work with you to create a care plan that may include medication management, transcatheter treatment, heart surgery, and cardiac rehabilitation. You can have confidence knowing your care team is one of the most experienced teams in the country. 

Choose Ascension Saint Thomas Heart for advanced heart and valve care

Our structural heart and valve centers provide comprehensive heart care, close to home. Your doctor, heart specialists, heart surgeons and care team work together to help diagnose, treat and support you, all at one location.

  • Advanced diagnostic imaging: We offer full-service digital imaging that includes echocardiography (echo), electrocardiogram (EKG), nuclear stress testing, vascular ultrasound, cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans and angiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  • Convenient heart care: At Ascension Saint Thomas Heart, we treat complex heart conditions with medical therapies and minimally invasive and surgical procedures. 
  • Heart care that focuses on the whole you: Your doctor works with you and your family to monitor your heart health over time, including connecting you with cardiac rehab and helping manage your medications to make sure they are working well for you.
  • Minimally invasive treatment options: Some of the procedures we provide include transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), MitraClip™, TriClip, PFO and ASD/VSD closure, transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement, and alcohol septal ablation.
  • Nationally recognized expertise in heart care: Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West earned the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award (2021–2025) from the American Heart Association and Mitral Foundation. The hospital also earned “High Performing” status in all cardiac categories, including aortic valve surgery, heart bypass, and TAVR. In addition, Ascension Saint Thomas Heart is the only center in Tennessee to receive the highest 3-star rating from the STS/ACC TVT Registry for TAVR procedures.

Conditions we treat

  • Aortic Valve disease
    The aortic valve regulates blood flow from the left side of your heart to your aorta and on to the rest of your body. The valve can become damaged and narrow (stenosis) or leak (regurgitation). This forces your heart to work harder and may lead to more serious conditions, such as heart failure or heart attack.
  • aDULT CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE
    Congenital heart disease develops before birth and affects the structure or function of your heart.
  • Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy
    Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) causes the muscles of your heart to thicken, making it harder to pump blood. This may lead to heart rhythm disorders or even cardiac arrest. For many people, HOCM is an inherited condition that shows very few or no symptoms at all.
  • Left atrial appendagE
    The left atrial appendage (LAA) is a small pocket near the upper left chamber of your heart. By closing the LAA, patients are at lower risk for blood clots and potential stroke without the long-term use of blood thinners.
  • Mitral valve disease
    The mitral valve separates the two left chambers of your heart and serves as a backstop to the main pumping chamber of your heart (the left ventricle). Mitral valve disease is a group of conditions where the valve has been damaged and no longer functions properly.
  • Tricuspid valve disease
    Your tricuspid valve helps regulate blood flow between the two right chambers of your heart. When your tricuspid begins to leak or narrow, your heart is forced to work harder to push blood to the lungs. If left untreated, tricuspid valve disease can lead to congestive heart failure, liver and kidney failure.

Robotic valve surgery

At Ascension Saint Thomas Heart, our surgeons are national leaders in robotic heart surgery. We offer advanced, minimally invasive care for heart valve disorders, AFib, coronary artery disease, and congenital conditions. Robotic surgery allows for smaller incisions between the ribs instead of opening the chest, which can mean less pain, lower infection risk, and a faster recovery. For patients needing valve repair or replacement, this approach offers a safer, more precise option.

Our experienced robotic heart surgery team includes:

Clinical trials and research

Ascension Saint Thomas Heart is committed to advancing the health and wellness of the patients and communities we serve through discovery, continuous improvement, and care transformation. Learn more about how researchers at Ascension Saint Thomas are working together to advance patient care through clinical trials.

Featured locations

Ascension Saint Thomas Heart West Structural Heart & Valve Center 

Ascension Saint Thomas Heart Rutherford Structural Heart & Valve Center

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the difference between a cardiologist and interventional cardiologist?
    Cardiologists primarily diagnose and treat heart conditions with medications, but they may perform procedures such as cardiac catheterization or placing stents. An interventional cardiologist has the expertise to deliver catheter-based treatments for heart disease. Interventional cardiologists specialize in minimally invasive heart valve (TAVR and MitraClip™) replacement or valve repair.
  • What are symptoms of heart valve disease?
    Heart valve disease can be caused by aging, infection or injury. You can also be diagnosed with congenital heart valve disease, meaning you were born with your condition. Common symptoms of heart valve disease include
    • Chest pain
    • Fainting
    • Fatigue
    • Irregular heartbeat
    • Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
    • Swelling in the ankles and legs
    Some people with heart valve disease experience no symptoms. If you are an older adult or have had other health conditions such as rheumatic fever, heart attack and arrhythmia, talk to your doctor about your risk for heart valve disease.
  • What are the signs of heart valve problems?
    Healthy heart valves can fully open and close with your heartbeat to allow blood to flow properly, but a diseased valve can not. Heart valve disease can develop over a short or long period of time. Some signs of a heart valve problem can include:
    • Chest pain
    • Dizziness or fainting
    • Fatigue
    • Fever
    • Irregular heartbeat
    • Rapid weight gain
    • Shortness of breath
  • Can heart valve disease be treated?
    Advanced care for your heart valve condition may include therapeutic or surgical options. Heart surgeons at Ascension sites of care provide diagnostic tests and minimally invasive procedures such as TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement). Your care plan may also include cardiac rehabilitation and follow-up care to get you back to your home, family and the activities you love. Talk to your doctor about what treatment options are right for you.