Structural Heart Disease Program at St. Joseph Hospital Orange

The Stanley W. Ekstrom Valve Center at St. Joseph Hospital (SJO) has become Orange County's, high-volume destination for catheter-based, “state-of-the-heart” treatment options. Our Structural Heart Disease Program combines the skills of highly qualified, board-certified cardiologists, cardiac and vascular surgeons, cardiac anesthesiologists, radiologists, cardiac nurses, nurse practitioners and cath lab clinicians. These experts collaborate on developing and implementing individualized treatment plans to expedite recovery and restore heart and vascular health.

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Structural Heart Disease Program at St. Joseph Hospital Orange

The Stanley W. Ekstrom Valve Center at St. Joseph Hospital (SJO) has become Orange County's, high-volume destination for catheter-based, “state-of-the-heart” treatment options. Our Structural Heart Disease Program combines the skills of highly qualified, board-certified cardiologists, cardiac and vascular surgeons, cardiac anesthesiologists, radiologists, cardiac nurses, nurse practitioners and cath lab clinicians. These experts collaborate on developing and implementing individualized treatment plans to expedite recovery and restore heart and vascular health.

Procedures & Therapies

We use the least invasive therapies to perform complex and effective structural heart and valve repairs. Bringing in emerging technologies has advanced our award-winning care. We offer hope to younger, older and all patients with congenital and acquired heart wall and valve diseases.

At St. Joseph Hospital, our heart and vascular specialists provide life-changing procedures such as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure that replaces a restricted, calcified aortic valve (aortic stenosis) with a new valve. In aortic stenosis the valve leaflets calcify and thicken, restricting blood flow. Aortic stenosis causes the heart to work harder, resulting in fatigue, shortness of breath, heart failure, palpitations, fainting, and other symptoms. In a TAVR procedure, the aortic valve is replaced via a small incision in the groin. Because TAVR is so safe and successful in high-risk patients, in 2019 the FDA approved its use in patients at lower risk as well. A growing number of people threatened by aortic stenosis and serious valve disease are choosing to have a TAVR at St. Joseph Hospital. Here’s what sets the program apart:

  • St. Joseph Hospital began providing TAVR procedures in 2016. Our program quickly grew to qualify as a high-volume center in Orange County;
  • Our physicians and team members train other physicians and clinicians in the TAVR procedure; and
  • We have replaced aortic valves in more than 500 patients with outstanding outcomes.

With expert TAVR implantation, a replacement valve restores and regulates blood flow. After the TAVR procedure, the patient usually returns home the next day with significantly improved quality of life.

TAVR compares very favorably with traditional open heart valve replacement surgery. TAVR patients welcome:

  • Relief of symptoms, including pain and anxiety;
  • Improved quality of life, including the ability to return to normal daily activities;
  • A short hospital stay, often only overnight; and
  • Minimal scarring.

The Heart and Vascular Center welcomes your TAVR-related calls.

WATCHMANTM is a safe, long-term alternative to lifelong use of blood thinners (anticoagulants) for people with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder linked to high stroke risk. Watchman is considered a “disruptive technology,” advancing how high-risk patients are treated. It is the only device approved in the U.S. for mechanical closure of the left atrial appendage of the heart, where the vast majority of stroke-causing clots form.  

St. Joseph Hospital is the highest volume Watchman program in Orange County. Since opening the Watchman Program in 2017, patients have experienced low complication and high procedural success rates. Stroke risk is reduced, and bleeding complications from anticoagulant therapy resolve.

We welcome recoveries.

We also welcome your questions and referrals.

Since September 2017, properly selected, high-surgical-risk patients with leaky mitral valves have come to the Stanley W. Ekstrom Valve Center at St. Joseph Hospital for the latest approach to transcatheter mitral valve replacement and repair. The new MitraClip procedure manages regurgitation while hastening recovery and improving quality of life.

The St. Joseph Hospital Heart and Vascular team has performed the region’s highest number of MitraClip procedures. Here are some of the MitraClip Program’s outcomes and proven benefits:

  • Reduced heart-failure-related symptoms in more than 90 percent of patients, with very low rates of procedural complications and device-related adverse events;
  • Effective for high-risk patients who previously had no options;
  • Expedited recovery and reduced scarring when compared to open heart surgery; and
  • Reduction in heart failure-related hospitalizations.

The patient is typically hospitalized for up to a few days and has an improvement in symptoms immediately after undergoing the procedure.

For referrals and questions on MitraClip procedures, please give us a call.

Why Choose Us for Structural Heart Disease Care?

At Providence, we see the life in you. We are committed to making a positive difference in every life we touch.

Our patients are at the heart of everything we do, which is why we’re always looking for ways to make your experience better. If your treatment requires innovative procedures, we’ve got you covered. If you need extra support, we’re here to help. When Melissa Faucher was a young woman, she was told the congenital heart disease she had since she was an infant would probably prevent her from being able to have children. But when her cardiology team realized how important motherhood was to Ms. Faucher, they did everything in their power to support her – including working closely with Ms. Faucher’s obstetrics care team. She is now the mother of four healthy children.

Our improved referral process makes it easier for patients to stay with Providence, the network they trust. We’ve also introduced a program to help patients get faster care through virtual visits with a nurse practitioner. This patient-centered approach is why patients have trusted Providence with their structural heart disease care for more than 80 years.

We take a team-based approach to treating your structural heart disease. Why? Because we know this leads to the best results. Every Providence patient has access to world-class care from leaders in the field. Your multidisciplinary care team includes board-certified heart care specialists who have superior outcomes treating the most complex conditions. Your care team also works closely with dietitians to help you make heart-healthy food choices, physical therapists to help you keep living life to its fullest, and nurse navigators to coordinate your care with your primary care physician.

We understand that the impact of heart disease is greater in marginalized communities. Genetics plays a part, but unequal access to great health care is also a factor. At Providence, we value, respect and support the racial, ethnic, religious, gender, sexual and spiritual identities of all our patients. We are deeply committed to making sure everyone in our diverse communities has equal access to the best heart care. To do this, we offer location-specific services that help meet our patients’ needs. This includes translation for non-English-speaking patients, telehealth and transportation assistance. And we never turn a patient away, regardless of their ability to pay. Instead, we work harder to make sure every patient is treated equally and with dignity – whoever you are, and wherever you’re at.

As a patient at Providence, you belong to one of the largest community-based networks for heart care in the United States. This means your local heart care team shares knowledge and experience with other cardiac specialists across 51 hospitals in seven states. If specialty care is needed, your heart care team can easily reach the physicians with the most expertise. Take the story of our heart disease patient Donny Jones. When his lifelong heart condition became worse, his Providence cardiologist reached out to the location where he could get the special surgery he needed. Then he was back home just a few days later. The power of our network is one of the reasons more than 400,000 heart patients choose Providence each year.

Providence is well known for offering options – and hope – to patients seeking the most advanced therapies to treat structural heart disease. We participate in national and international data registries that track cardiovascular outcomes. This helps us learn more to continually improve our care for you. Our doctors and scientists also support groundbreaking research projects. Our leadership helps us provide better heart care – and a better life – for you and your loved ones.

THE POWER OF OUR NETWORK

Part of the Providence Heart & Vascular Institute of Orange County

  • We use minimally invasive procedures for structural heart care for improved outcomes and reduced recovery times.
  • Our award-winner cardiologists meet regularly to share their knowledge, so you know you’re getting the best structural heart treatment.
  • More than 9,000 heart patients choose us for their care each year.

Learn More About the Providence Heart & Vascular Institute in Orange County

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