Thanks to remarkable technologies and years of regional collaboration, a major heart procedure that many patients have required in Michigan’s Great Southwest can now be performed right here at home.
Patients suffering from severe aortic stenosis—a hardening or narrowing of one of the heart valves—have traditionally had to travel out of the market to gain access to transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures. Now, that procedure can be performed at Spectrum Health Lakeland due to a new program established at the local hospital. The TAVR procedure replaces a diseased aortic valve with a new tissue or biologic valve and is an alternative option for traditional open-heart surgery.
Lakeland cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons have been performing the procedure since 2012 in Kalamazoo through a collaboration with Bronson Healthcare. Based on changes to Medicare guidelines and demand for the procedure, the health system is now able to offer the minimally invasive option at Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph.
Dennis Disch, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Services at Spectrum Health Lakeland, says, “We are proud to bring this program home to Lakeland, which provides patients access to one of the most advanced heart treatment techniques right here in Southwest Michigan.”
Emily Milliken, NP, joins Lakeland as the TAVR Program Coordinator. Milliken earned a Master of Science in Nursing degree from Goshen College. She is board certified as a family nurse practitioner from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Prior to joining Lakeland, Milliken served as a Registered Nurse on the surgical intensive care unit and a nurse practitioner in cardiothoracic surgery in Mishawaka, Indiana.
As services at Lakeland Heart and Vascular grow, the team has welcomed several new providers already this year. You can visit http://lakelandheart.com to learn more about Cardiologists, Dale Lefler, DO, and Ogubay Mesmer, MD; Electrophysiologist, David Rhine, MD; and providers, Jaclynn Jackubowski, NP, and Milliken.
