Structural heart disease is a condition that affects the heart’s structure, its valves, chambers and walls. Minimally invasive procedures are transforming treatment for these complex conditions.
Many diagnoses that once required open heart surgery can now be treated with minimally-invasive procedures, resulting in shorter hospital stays, fewer complications, and a faster return to the activities you love. Dr. Neil Wimmer, Medical Director of the ChristianaCare Structural Heart Program, and Interventional and Structural Cardiologist Dr. Erin Fender join us to unpack how transcatheter therapies work, why outcomes now rival open heart surgery, and what it's like to see patients go from breathless to walking the halls the next day.
Along the way, we explore who qualifies, how to start with primary care or general cardiology, and what a comprehensive heart team brings to complex cases.
If you've wondered whether valve disease still means a big operation, or you're caring for someone slowing down with subtle symptoms, this deep dive offers clarity and hope.
Neil Wimmer, M.D., MS, is the Medical Director of the ChristianaCare Structural Heart Program and an expert in transcutaneous aortic valve replacement (TAVR), which enables patients who aren't good candidates for open heart surgery to receive a new heart valve inserted through a catheter. The procedure has increased in popularity in recent years.
Erin Fender, MD, is board-certified in interventional cardiology, cardiovascular disease and internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. A cardiology researcher and educator, Dr. Fender is engaged in educational programs and lecture series, and has presented nationally.
Links:
- ChristianaCare Cardiology
- ChristianaCare Structural Heart Disease Program
- Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) at ChristianaCare
- ChristianaCare News: ChristianaCare First in Delaware to Offer Breakthrough Tricuspid Valve Disease Treatments
- ChristianaCare News: A Minimally Invasive Alternative to Open Heart Surgery
