Structural Heart and Valve Disease Program

Find a heart valve disease specialist

Our Structural Heart and Valve Disease program provides comprehensive, team-based care for conditions affecting the heart's valves, walls, and chambers.

Structural heart disease may be present from birth (congenital) or develop over time.

We specialize in minimally invasive, catheter-based procedures to treat defective or malfunctioning valves, including the aortic and mitral valves. These valves are essential in regulating blood flow throughout the body. When they fail to function properly, it can lead to valve disease, which may severely impact your quality of life and result in serious cardiac complications.

Our Structural Heart and Valve Disease Program unites leading experts and cutting-edge resources to deliver highly specialized care. Our team collaborates with you to set long-term goals, create a personalized care plan, and help you return to your life as quickly as possible. Contact our structural heart team for more information.

Why choose Englewood Health for heart valve disease care?

We offer:

  • Advanced cardiac diagnostics to accurately determine the type and severity of your valve disease.
  • A multidisciplinary team of valve specialists—including cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, and cardiac surgeons—who provide comprehensive insights into your case and guide you through every step of your treatment plan.
  • Unmatched expertise: Englewood Hospital is the only hospital in New Jersey to receive the highest quality rating (3 stars) for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. We are also the first in northern New Jersey to be recognized as a certified valve center by the American College of Cardiology.
  • High volume and experience: Our program has successfully performed over 1,500 TAVR procedures and is one of the highest-volume centers in New Jersey for mitral valve repair using the MitraClip device, consistently achieving results that surpass most centers nationwide.

The treatment of valve disease is undergoing a rapid change as we speak. The traditional treatment has been open heart surgery to replace the blocked valve. Unfortunately, because this is a mechanical problem, there are no medications that can help. However, this has changed with the development of newer procedures.

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Ramin Hastings, MD, Medical Director of the Structural Heart and Valve Program

Ramin S. Hastings, MD Headshot

Valve Conditions We Treat

Our team diagnoses and treats the range of ailments that can affect any of your four valves, including:

  • Valvular stenosis, in which your valve doesn’t fully open, so your heart must work harder to compensate. Aortic stenosis is the most common kind of valvular stenosis and, if left untreated, can cause heart failure and eventually death.
  • Valvular regurgitation or insufficiency, in which your valve doesn’t close tightly, causing blood to flow backwards, forcing your heart to work harder.

Treatment Options for Valve Disease

The treatment for valve disease depends on the type and severity of your condition. Common treatments include:

Medication

Medication can help symptoms and prevent complications, but cannot correct the cause of valve disease.

Valve Repair

Some valve problems can be fixed without replacing the valve, through surgery or a minimally invasive option. These include:

  • Mitral clip (MitraClip and PASCAL): A minimally invasive option to repair the mitral valve if you have mitral valve regurgitation.
  • TriClip: A new minimally invasive option to repair the tricuspid valve if you have tricuspid valve regurgitation.
  • Valvuloplasty: A minimally invasive procedure to widen a narrowed or stiff heart valve (usually the aortic valve) using a catheter and a balloon.

Valve Replacement

Englewood Hospital has experience with all types of surgical valve replacement. For many people with aortic stenosis, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an ideal option. This is an advanced procedure that delivers an artificial aortic valve through a catether, replacing your damaged valve. Englewood Hospital has one of the most experienced TAVR programs in New Jersey. Learn more about our TAVR program.

For More Information

For appointment requests, referrals, and more information, please fill out this form and a member of our heart valve team will get back to you.