People with heart valve conditions have access to comprehensive, personalized treatment at UPMC in Central Pa.
Our cardiovascular specialists are some of the most experienced in the region. Our Structural Heart Program also offers:
- A single point of contact for your heart valve care.
- Access to advanced clinical trials.
- Comprehensive management of heart valve disorders from diagnosis through treatment.
- Coordination of procedures, tests, screenings and specialist appointments with your convenience in mind.
- State-of-the-art options for heart valve repair and replacement.
What Are Structural Heart Problems?
Structural heart conditions affect your tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic heart valves.
What conditions do we treat?
We treat all types of heart valve disorders, including problems with regurgitation (leaking valves) and stenosis (narrowing valve).
What Structural Heart Services Do We Offer?
The heart valve team at UPMC in Central pa.
The structural heart (valve clinic) team at UPMC in Central Pa. offers patients rapid evaluation and treatment of heart valve conditions. For the most advanced minimally invasive valve surgery options and personalized care, look no further than UPMC in Central Pa.
Working collaboratively, the UPMC in Central Pa. team:
- Thoroughly evaluates each patient's state of disease.
- Develops a comprehensive individualized plan of care utilizing the most advanced technologies.
- Coordinates the care process.
- When appropriate, performs expert heart valve replacement and heart valve repair surgery.
We believe in a team approach to care. Our cardiovascular specialists and staff work closely with each patient's cardiologist and primary care physician to ensure a continuity of care before, during and after surgery. All medical history and information is forwarded to each member of the care team ensuring that patient care is seamless.
Nurses are a key part of our care team. Research nurses are closely involved in the treatment plan for patients enrolled in clinical trials. Each registered nurse in the cardiac operating room extensive nursing experience to the team.
Advanced diagnostic and imaging technology for valve disorders
We offer advanced diagnostic technology, including:
- Chest x-ray — A chest x-ray is a diagnostic test that uses invisible electromagnetic energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones, and organs onto film. An x-ray can show
- Echocardiogram (ECHO) — This noninvasive ultrasound test uses sound waves to evaluate your heart's chambers and valves. The ECHO sound waves create an image on a monitor as an ultrasound transducer is passed over your heart.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) — This test records the electrical activity of your heart, shows abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias or dysrhythmias), and can sometimes detect heart muscle damage.
- Two-dimensional echocardiogram (2D Echo) — This test uses ultrasound to display a cross sectional "slice" of your beating heart, including the chambers, valves, and the major blood vessels that exit from the left and right part of your heart.
- Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) — This form of echocardiography provides a clearer image of your heart because the sound waves do not have to pass through skin, muscle, or bone.
- MRI scans — MRI is a diagnostic procedure that combines large magnets, radio frequencies, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and structures within your body.
- CT angiogram — Providers review images of your arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle.
Heart valve treatments and services
The UPMC Structural Heart Program in Central Pa. offers the most advanced, comprehensive surgical care available for valve disorders, including:
How Do I Get Care at UPMC?
To make an appointment with the Structural Heart Program in Central, Pa., call 1-855-275-6478.
By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2024-10-01.
