Structural heart
The structural heart program focuses on the surgical treatment of heart disease and other vascular conditions. Surgical options may include repairing or replacing damaged valves through methods such as TAVR and SAVR.
Structural heart treatment programs in Florida
Structural heart issues require experts who have deep experience and specialized training in the intricate systems in your heart.
That's exactly what the structural heart doctors of HCA Florida Physicians have. Structural heart care refers to medical care focused on the literal structures inside your heart, such as the valves and chambers. This is different from the type of care you would receive if you have something like an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). Structural heart issues require experts who have deep experience and specialized training in the intricate systems in your heart.
Related specialties
Learn more about our related specialties.
Structural heart diseases we treat
We treat many conditions and diseases that qualify as "structural heart issues," including:
- Arterio-venous malformations (AVMs)
- Holes in the heart, including atrial septal defect (ASD) and ventricular septal defect (VSD)
- Left atrial appendage complications
- Non-closing and improperly closing valves or "regurgitation"
- Thickened valves (stenosis), including pulmonary valve stenosis
- Valves without holes (atresia)
Our structural heart treatments and services
We provide structural heart programs that enable us to offer you the care you deserve, from diagnosis through treatment and recovery.
Our structural heart programs
To begin with, our experts are able to offer you all types of advanced heart screening services to help diagnose your condition. This is what allows them to really personalize your treatment. They will be very careful to explain what your diagnosis means and to answer all your questions. After your treatment, they can connect you to a cardiac rehabilitation program and help you set up any other types of care you may need.
Structural heart disease treatments we offer
We will always strike a balance in your treatment to find the least invasive and yet most effective option for you. We'll take your lifestyle and other factors into account and discuss it all at length with you to be sure you agree with your treatment plan.
Some of the options we can offer you include:
Structural heart interventions (nonsurgical treatments)
We are proud to have a robust set of cardiac catheterization procedures available for our patients. These types of nonsurgical interventions allow us to treat your structural issue with thin, flexible tubes (catheters) and tiny instruments.
One type of procedure we offer in this area is valvuloplasty. This is often called a balloon valvotomy because it involves placing a small balloon in the affected area. It is then inflated to open the valve and allow our surgeons to safely replace, strengthen and repair the faulty valve. (The balloon is a surgical tool that is removed at the end of the procedure.)
Other names you may hear related to these procedures are percutaneous or transcatheter valve implants or repairs.
Surgical treatments for structural heart defects
In many cases, it's true that surgery will be your best option to treat structural heart problems. In these cases, we are expertly trained, experienced and equipped to offer you effective, and often minimally invasive, options.
Some of the structural heart surgeries we commonly perform include valve replacements and repairs. We offer both minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR).
Types of structural heart doctors
It can be a little difficult to understand how a structural heart doctor differs from a regular cardiologist. Think of it this way: a cardiologist cares for your overall heart health and a structural heart specialist cares for very specific issues that occur inside your heart.
When you need a structural heart specialist, they will still be called a cardiologist. However, you can expect our structural heart cardiologists to be more specialized and even more highly trained in their field.
Other doctors you may work with when you have a structural heart issue include:
- Electrophysiologists
- Cardiothoracic surgeons
- Cardiovascular surgeons
- Vascular surgeons
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