Sentara is a leader in treating heart valve disease with breakthrough procedures. In addition to these procedures, we also develop a uniquely personalized plan of care for each of our heart valve patients.
We believe in the power of shared decision-making to partner with patients on tough decisions and use evidence-based decision aids to help talk with patients about their best options. Shared decision-making is a meeting of two experts. Our doctors are the experts in the choices available to patients and the risks and benefits of those options, and the patient is the expert in their values and preferences and what’s most important to them.
- What makes this team special is that we all bring our areas of expertise together to focus on a patient. What’s been incredibly rewarding to me is treating patients who traditionally had no options and getting some of the sickest patients in the ICU through a procedure together, getting them better, healthier, and on with their lives.
Clinton Kemp, M.D.
Cardiac surgeon
The four pillars of personalized heart valve treatment at Sentara
One aspect of our approach to treating heart valve disease is creating a patient plan to protect your heart from additional damage by looking at your lifestyle, risk factors and pre-existing conditions such as diabetes. Lifestyle management includes looking at things like:
- Blood pressure
- Diet
- Exercise
- Sleep
- Skin and dental care
- Smoking (quit smoking)
- Stress and mental health
- Weight
Lifestyle management begins at your first appointment and continues throughout your life. We provide the tools to help our patients better manage their risk factors and offer support to help them make lifestyle changes to prevent further damage.
Medication and lifestyle management are often among the first steps in treating a heart valve condition. In many cases, medication is prescribed to help with symptoms or other risks until the disease progresses to the point of needing intervention. This medication management also helps prepare the body for a successful heart valve intervention to repair or replace the damaged valve.
The medication prescribed depends on the type and severity of your condition. These medications help control concerns such as:
- Blood pressure
- Heart rate
- Heart muscle function
- Water weight
Medication management is an important part of heart valve treatment before, during and after a procedure.
Once you experience more severe symptoms of heart valve disease, your life expectancy and quality of life can decline.
Progressive symptoms of heart valve disease include:
- Angina (chest pain)
- Dyspnea (breathing difficulty or discomfort)
- Syncope (fainting or sudden loss of consciousness)
These symptoms usually indicate that a procedure is needed to repair or replace a heart valve. The good news is that many people enjoy improved overall health and quality of life with proper treatment.
The Sentara Heart Valve Center understands there is no “one size fits all” approach to treating heart valve disease. That’s why our multidisciplinary team creates an individualized treatment plan for each patient, ensuring the safest, best outcome, and longest-lasting treatment for their needs.
Heart valve replacement and repair treatments available at the Sentara Heart Valve Center:
- Interventional procedures The Sentara Heart Valve Center is a nationwide leader in interventional procedures that repair or replace the valve using a catheter-based approach, avoiding the need to do an open surgery. These minimally invasive procedures offer shorter recovery times and are often the best option for high-risk patients who might not otherwise be able to have an open surgery due to their anatomy or frailty.
- Heart valve surgery Although minimally invasive procedures have been resoundingly successful, we still offer traditional surgery, as it remains the right path for some patients. This includes conventional and robotic heart surgery to perform heart valve repairs, replacements, and reconstructions.
We know your heart health journey doesn’t begin or end with one appointment or a procedure. From your first appointment through procedures and treatments, our team offers the full range of support.
We also work with your primary care team and other health team members to give you peace of mind in knowing your care team is up-to-date, informed and on the same page.
The Sentara Heart Valve Center treatment plan includes patient-centered care with support from various resources such as:
- Cardiac rehabilitation
- Care planning
- Discharge planning
- Financial support
- Home care support if needed
- Spiritual support if desired