Structural Heart Program

Conditions Treated

• Arteriovenous fistula (AV Fistula) - swollen blood vessels

  Blood typically travels from the arteries to the capillaries to the veins. An arteriovenous fistula occurs when blood doesn’t flow through the capillaries, depriving body tissue of the oxygen and nutrients it needs.

  Swollen blood vessels, or an arteriovenous fistula, develops when the blood flows straight to the veins from the arteries, skipping the capillaries altogether. The capillaries are responsible for transporting oxygen and nutrients in the blood to tissue all throughout the body. When the tissue doesn’t receive enough blood supply, serious complications can occur.

• Atrial septal defects (ASD) - hole in heart

  Atrial septal defect (ASD) transcatheter closure is a procedure to fix a hole in the atrial septum. The atrial septum is a wall that separates the right and left upper chambers in the heart (atria). This hole is called an atrial septal defect or ASD.

  If this defect is present, blood can flow abnormally from the left atrium into the right atrium. This causes the heart to pump extra blood out to the lungs. This extra blood can damage the lung blood vessels if left untreated for a long time. Also, the right-side pumping chamber (right ventricle) can become enlarged. As a result, it has to pump harder than it should to get blood out to the lungs.

• Congenital heart disease

  A congenital heart defect (CHD) is when the heart or the blood vessels near the heart don't develop normally before birth.

  CHDs occur in about 1 out of 100 babies. Most young people with these conditions are living into adulthood now. This is due to advances in early diagnoses, testing, treatment, and surgeries.

  Most heart defects either cause an abnormal blood flow through the heart, lack of formation or defect in one of the pumping chambers, or block blood flow in the heart or vessels.

• Heart valve problems

  Your heart’s job is to pump blood through your body. That job starts with pumping blood through the heart itself. Inside your heart, blood passes through a series of one-way gates (valves). If a valve doesn't work correctly, not enough blood moves forward.

  A problem heart valve may not open wide enough may not close tightly enough, or both. In any case, not enough blood is sent through the heart muscle or out to the body.

• Paravalvular leak - leaky heart valve

  A leaky heart valve, or paravalvular leak, can develop in people who have undergone valve replacement surgery. It occurs when there is space between the replacement valve and normal heart tissue, allowing blood to leak out.

• Patent foramen ovale (PFO)

  A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a small opening between the two upper chambers of the heart, the right and the left atrium. Normally, a thin membranous wall made up of two connecting flaps separates these chambers. No blood can flow between them. If a PFO exists, a little blood can flow between the atria through the flaps. This flow is not normal.

  The condition is most important because it raises the risk of stroke. PFO's don't cause strokes. Blood clots can travel from the right atrium to the left atrium and out to blood vessels of the body. If the clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain, it can cause a stroke. These clots can also damage other organs, such as the heart or the kidneys.

• Pseudoaneurysms

  A pseudoaneurysm (PSA), or false aneurysm, occurs when blood leaks from the aorta (the heart’s largest artery) and pools in the surrounding tissue. When the blood pools, a bulge will form in the artery, which results in the pseudoaneurysm. The leakage is often caused by damage to the aorta’s lining.

  A pseudoaneurysm is different from an aneurysm, because it doesn’t cause the enlargement of the blood vessel wall. It only appears to be enlarged, because blood has pooled in the surrounding tissue.

• Ventricular septal defect (VSD) - hole in heart

  The heart has 4 chambers. A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a hole in the dividing wall (ventricular septum) between the 2 lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart. A VSD can occur anywhere in the ventricular septum. Left untreated, this defect can lead to certain heart and lung problems over time.