Heart and valve care in Nashville
As you need more complex and advanced care for the health of your heart, Ascension Saint Thomas Heart in Nashville, Tennessee, is ready with treatment that is right for you:
- Experienced cardiovascular specialists who listen to your needs.
- Care teams that work together with you.
- Leading technologies and advanced treatment options.
- Connecting the dots across our health network.
- Follow-up care and rehab to get you back to your life.
Ascension Saint Thomas Heart is a national leader in minimally invasive approaches to treat different heart valve problems. Our heart valve team starts by listening to you, to better understand you and your health. Then, we work with you to create a personalized care plan that meets all of your heart care needs, medication management, including diagnostic tests and minimally invasive procedures.
When you choose Ascension Saint Thomas Heart for your care, have confidence knowing your care team is one of the most experienced teams in the country. We’ve performed more than 2,000 TAVR procedures and 600 MitraClip™ procedures since 2012. Our team of specialists at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West received the 2022 and 2023 Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award from the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation for excellence in mitral valve repair surgery. Ascension Saint Thomas Heart achieved the highest quality (three-star rating) designation by STS/ACC TVT Registry, a collaboration between the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American College of Cardiology, for TAVR procedures. They have also earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for patient care and outcomes in aortic valve replacement (AVR) combined with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures.
Understanding symptoms of heart valve disease
If you have symptoms of aortic valve disease – chest pain and feeling of tightness with activity, fatigue, shortness of breath with activity, leg swelling, lightheadedness and/or dizziness, feeling fainting with activity and rapid heartbeat – talk with a heart specialist. For severe aortic stenosis, your doctor may prescribe medicine to help manage your symptoms, but in many cases, surgery is the recommended treatment option.
Specialists in structural heart and valve disease
Heart and valve problems can lead to heart attack or progressive heart failure, as well as many other heart conditions, so it’s important to talk to your doctor about early treatment options. Whenever possible, our network of heart specialists perform cardiac procedures using minimally invasive techniques. Minimally invasive procedures may help shorten your recovery time and lower your risk of complications. Ask your doctor about your minimally invasive treatment options.
- Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR): A minimally invasive heart procedure in which your doctor uses a small catheter to replace a damaged valve with a new one. With a TAVR procedure, the hospital stay is shorter, generally 1-2 days, and the return to full activity is often quicker than open heart surgery.
- MitraClip™: During the MitraClip procedure, your heart team inserts the small clip using a thin tube that is inserted into a vein in your leg and guided to your heart. This small clip allows your mitral valve to close more completely, helping to restore normal blood flow through your heart.
- PFO and ASD/VSD closure: To help correct a flap or hole in your heart, your heart team will insert a small closure device into your heart to close the hole.
- Alcohol septal ablation: This non-surgical procedure is for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition where your heart muscle is thicker than normal. To help thin the heart muscle, your heart team will insert a small, thin tube into your artery. Then, they will inject a small amount of alcohol into the area where your heart muscle is too thick.
- Paravalvular leak closure: Your doctor uses a catheter that is inserted into your leg and is guided into your heart. Using the catheter, a closure device is placed around the leak.
- High-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI): A type of angioplasty that uses a stent. During this minimally invasive procedure, an interventional cardiologist will inflate a small balloon in the narrowed portion of your artery to re-open it and restore normal blood flow. Your doctor may also insert a small stent to keep your artery open.
- Balloon aortic valvuloplasty: With this procedure, a tiny balloon is inflated in the aortic valve to try and improve blood flow. This treatment only provides temporary relief and other procedures may be necessary.
Get a second opinion from a heart specialist
If you have a new diagnosis or need a cardiac treatment plan, there’s a lot to think about when facing a cardiovascular health issue. Getting a second opinion provides more information about your condition and can also help you feel more confident in the doctor and the care plan you choose. If you’re looking for a second opinion, specialists at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart are here for you. 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 more treatment options.
- Your treatment options are costly or risky.
- You want to hear an opinion from another specialist.
- You want to find a new doctor with a new care plan.
- Your insurance requires a second opinion.
Heart care that focuses on the whole you
Your doctors, specialists and care team collaborate, working together for you and with you. Your doctor listens to understand your healthcare needs, new symptoms and goals. And all your caregivers communicate and collaborate as a team. At Ascension Saint Thomas Heart, your care team supports you before, during and after your heart valve surgery, to help you return to the regular daily activities and those you love. Your doctor will work with you to monitor your heart health over time, including cardiac rehab and medication management.
Frequently asked questions about heart and valve
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What is the most common type of heart disease?
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease in the United States. When plaque builds up within your artery walls, it can create a partial or total blockage. This condition decreases blood flow and can cause heart attack or another heart problem. Cardiologists at Ascension sites of care deliver advanced care for all types of heart conditions, including structural heart disorders that affect a heart valve, inflammation of the heart muscle and congenital heart conditions that affect the structures of the heart.
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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. To reach the heart, your doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube through an artery in the groin, arm or neck. This tube allows your doctor to check for partial or total blockages in the artery. During an angiogram catheterization, your doctor can also measure blood pressure within the heart and evaluate the blood flow through your heart’s chambers.
Interventional cardiologists specialize in minimally invasive heart valve (TAVR and MitraClip™) replacement or valve repair.
Minimally invasive surgery may be an option for your care with a goal of a shorter recovery time and lower risk of infection. If you need more advanced care, such as open-heart surgery, we’re with you through surgery, recovery and beyond. Together, your team of doctors deliver advanced heart and vascular care to help improve your heart function.
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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.
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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
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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.
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How do I find a heart valve specialist near me?
Heart and valve problems can lead to heart attack or progressive heart failure, so it’s important to talk to your doctor about early treatment options. For some heart valve conditions, surgery may be recommended. Whenever possible, our national care team of heart specialists perform cardiac surgeries using minimally invasive techniques, which may help shorten your recovery time and lower your risk of complications. Find a heart specialist near you.