A surgical team at Spectrum Health Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph has achieved accreditation for an advanced procedure they believe will save lives and improve the quality of life for patients. The procedure involves replacement of the valve in the aorta of the heart, and it’s done in only a limited number of hospitals. Here are the details in a statement from SHL:
Corazon, Inc., a national leader in services for the cardiovascular specialty based in Pittsburgh, has granted accreditation to the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) program at Spectrum Health Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph.
Through a rigorous process, the accreditation proves that the program has met the Corazon Accreditation Standards which ensure adherence to the most recent national societal guidelines as well as any state specific regulatory requirements.
During a TAVR procedure, a team of Lakeland cardiovascular specialists led by Dilip Arora, MD; Kourosh Baghelai, MD; and Thomas Pow, MD; work together to replace the aortic valve with a prosthetic valve via a transcatheter approach which is less invasive than traditional surgical methods. This procedure utilizes a collapsible valve which is implanted through a needle puncture in the skin and is indicated for patients who at risk for traditional open heart surgery.
“We are proud to have achieved TAVR accreditation as it demonstrates our continued efforts to providing the highest quality and most advanced level of surgical care to our heart patients,” said Dr. Arora. “Open heart surgery has traditionally been the only treatment for replacing a damaged heart valve. By establishing a dedicated TAVR program at Lakeland we are able to offer cutting-edge technology and minimally invasive procedure options to patients locally.”
“Spectrum Health Lakeland has demonstrated through their accreditation survey that they are committed to providing the highest quality level of care to their patient community,” said Karen Hartman, President and CEO, Corazon, Inc. “Their dedication, hard work, and exceptional leadership has afforded this opportunity in engaging their entire hospital team, enhancing their cardiac service line, thus allowing them to excel through achieving this accreditation.”
As an accrediting agency, Corazon helps to ensure life-saving services are provided in communities across the nation. The firm has worked with over 600 hospitals nationally to evaluate, re-engineer, or implement best-practice percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) programs.
Spectrum Health Lakeland offers patients access to more than 60 experienced clinicians who care for a variety of conditions impacting the heart and vascular system. The health system has earned national recognition for its pioneering work in peripheral vascular intervention and been recognized as a certified chest pain and open heart surgery center as well as an accredited nuclear medicine facility.
In 2021, Spectrum Health Lakeland earned Corazon Service Line of Excellence to the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), chest pain center, and open heart surgery programs. For more information, or to find a physician near you, visit lakelandheart.com
