{"id":15046,"date":"2019-11-18T08:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-11-18T14:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/?p=15046"},"modified":"2019-11-17T13:59:16","modified_gmt":"2019-11-17T19:59:16","slug":"american-heart-association-says-too-many-patients-receive-mitral-valve-replacement-when-repair-is-safer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/2019\/11\/18\/american-heart-association-says-too-many-patients-receive-mitral-valve-replacement-when-repair-is-safer\/","title":{"rendered":"American Heart Association says Too many Patients receive Mitral Valve Replacement when Repair is Safer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AmericanPhiladelphia, PA<\/strong> – While clinical guidelines<\/a> recommend mitral valve repair over replacement, too many patients who would benefit from repair receive replacement valves, with higher rates of death or complications within five years after surgery.<\/p>\n

In an effort to combat this, the Mitral Foundation and the American Heart Association\u00ae today launched a joint recognition program to identify, recognize and promote the nation\u2019s recognized medical centers for mitral valve repair surgery.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The mitral valve is a valve that lets blood flow from one chamber of the heart, the left atrium, to another called the left ventricle. In mitral valve prolapse, part of the mitral valve slips backward loosely into the chamber called the left atrium. (American Heart Association)<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

The Mitral Foundation and the American Heart Association, the world\u2019s leading voluntary organization devoted to a world of longer, healthier lives, have established a new joint recognition program for facilities: the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award.<\/p>\n

This award will provide information for patients and their families to make informed decisions and achieve better outcomes. This collaboration aims to increase the number of patients who receive mitral valve reconstruction, rather than replacement where appropriate.<\/p>\n

The recommended treatment for degenerative mitral valve disease is mitral valve reconstruction, as opposed to valve replacement with a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve, because valve repair is associated with improved survival and fewer long-term complications. Unfortunately, too many patients who would benefit from repair receive replacement valves, with higher rates of death or complications within five years after surgery. <\/p>\n

\u201cMitral valve repair is among the more challenging operations to perform well, and it is not as common as many other cardiac procedures. Patients deserve to know whether the surgical team that is going to operate on them is truly and objectively excellent,\u201d said David H. Adams, MD, Mitral Foundation president and the Marie-Jos\u00e9e and Henry R. Kravis professor and chair of the department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and cardiac surgeon-in-chief of the Mount Sinai Health System. \u201cThis initiative will enable patients to make informed choices about the team they are trusting to perform their procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ivor Benjamin, M.D., FAHA, volunteer scientific expert for the American Heart Association and immediate past president of the American Heart Association Board of Directors, added, \u201cChoosing the right hospital for heart surgery is one of the most important healthcare decisions a person can make in their lifetime. Our collaboration with the Mitral Foundation will give patients needing mitral valve surgery the data they need to identify and access the healthcare that best meets their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Applications for recognition for the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award will be accepted in early 2020. <\/p>\n

This recognition award program will:<\/strong><\/p>\n