Before now, when veterans anywhere in the Midwest needed a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, or TAVR procedure, they had to travel out of state or to a private hospital, as the minimally-invasive surgical procedure heart valve surgery wasn't available at a nearby VA hospital. With the opening of the $2M, 1,000-square foot TAVR Suite at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, that will now change.
"Aortic stenosis is a disease of elderly patients and it's not uncommon," says Dr. Claire Duvernoy, professor of medicine
with University of Michigan Hospital and Health Systems and cardiology section chief for VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. "Because our veterans tend to have other, co-existing medical conditions, they may be too high risk for open heart surgery. This procedure was developed those for whom doing an open heart operation is too risky."
Beginning in January, these veterans will have access to the TAVR procedure here in Ann Arbor. Duvernoy expects the suite will begin with about one procedure a week an ramp up to two to three each week over time. The VA Ann Arbor Healthcare Systems celebrated a ribbon cutting at the site this week.
"This is a big step forward," Duvernoy says. "We have our first patient scheduled for January, to allow time for the room to be used and for everyone to get comfortable working there."
One nurse and one nurse practitioner will be hired to manage TAVR patients pre- and post-procedure. University of Michigan Hospital physicians with extensive experience with TAVR will be performing the procedures at the VA. Currently, the university hospital performs more TAVR procedures than any other facility in Michigan. Bringing this service to veterans in the Ann Arbor area and beyond is expected to open up the benefits of TAVR to many veterans with aortic stenosis who might otherwise not have qualified for help with their condition.
Contact: Dr. Claire Duvernoy, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System
Writer: Natalie Burg
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