Transcatheter Heart Valve Program

Interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons at NYU Langone’s Transcatheter Heart Valve Program are among the most experienced in the country at performing nonsurgical procedures to repair and replace heart valves. We are leaders in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), mitral valve repair with MitraClip^®, transcatheter mitral valve replacement, and triscuspid valve repair and replacement.

During a transcatheter procedure, we use a blood vessel in the leg to access the heart valve. After this nonsurgical treatment, people live longer, experience improved quality of life, and have fewer symptoms of heart valve disease, including shortness of breath, than people whose valves are not repaired or replaced. In many cases, transcatheter procedures are safer than traditional open heart surgery, which requires a large incision and longer recovery time.

As part of NYU Langone’s Heart Valve Center, we also partner with surgeons at the Mitral Valve Repair Program, who use minimally invasive and robotic techniques to treat mitral valve disease.

Our TAVR Expertise

Our heart experts have performed more than 5,000 TAVR procedures—among the most in the country—to treat people with aortic valve disease. We are pioneers in the field and were the first in the world to perform an advanced type of TAVR using the new Medtronic CoreValve™ Evolut™ R Pro System.

Our survival rates are among the best in the country, and most patients require only a one-day hospital stay, compared with a national average of three days. Procedures are performed using conscious sedation, which uses a sedative and an anesthetic to relax you and block any pain, and has a faster recovery period than general anesthesia. Nearly all of our patients—96 percent—go home the day after procedure. Only 4 percent require a pacemaker after the procedure, and the risk of stroke or death is less than 1 percent. This far exceeds national averages.

Our TAVR team in Manhattan is led by Dr. Mathew R. Williams, who has performed more TAVR procedures than any surgeon in the country. Procedures are performed in our state-of-the-art hybrid operating rooms at NYU Langone’s Kimmel Pavilion, which features single-bedded rooms for all of our patients.

TAVR is an option for many people who need treatment for aortic valve disease. This includes those classified as high-risk who for medical reasons would not be a candidate for open heart surgery, as well as people who are considered low-risk for complications due to their relatively young age and overall good health. We are pioneers in the use of TAVR in low-risk patients, and were part of the clinical trial that made the treatment available to this group.

Our doctors work with you to determine whether TAVR is the best treatment for you. If another approach is better suited to your condition, our surgeons are also experts in all forms of cardiac valve surgery, including open heart surgery, and our outcomes exceed national averages. We also perform aortic balloon valvuloplasty, a transcatheter technique that is an option for some people who are not candidates for TAVR.

Excellence in Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair

We offer nonsurgical mitral valve repair, including with MitraClip^®, to treat mitral valve disease, and perform more of these procedures than any program in the Northeast.  

MitraClip^® is a device that helps the valve’s flaps, or leaflets, to close more effectively. MitraClip^® is available for people with degenerative mitral valve regurgitation brought on by conditions such as mitral valve prolapse, or functional mitral regurgitation that is a result of the overworked heart growing larger and pulling at the leaflets so they do not form a proper seal.

During the MitraClip^® procedure, your doctor accesses the mitral valve using a small incision in the groin. A clip is threaded through a catheter, and doctors place the device on the mitral valve. This reduces and in some cases eliminates regurgitation.

Because of our vast experience, our doctors can perform a MitraClip^® procedure twice as quickly as most centers. A shorter procedure time reduces the risk of complications, and our patients are usually up and walking a couple of hours after the procedure and are back home the next day. Most of our patients experience a significant reduction in regurgitation, which relieves symptoms, increases longevity, and improves quality of life.

In addition to MitraClip^®, we also perform mitral balloon valvuloplasty for people who have mitral valve stenosis due to rheumatic heart disease. We are also involved in numerous new technologies that are being developed to treat this condition.

Advanced Mitral Valve Replacement

We offer transcatheter mitral valve replacement, in which our doctors guide a new valve through a catheter to the heart, where it can take over the work of the diseased valve.

Transcatheter mitral valve replacement is available for people for are at high risk or are not candidates for open heart surgery, or those who have had prior mitral valve replacement and are in need of a new valve. NYU Langone is a pioneer in the use of transcatheter mitral valve replacement, and our doctors actively participate in clinical trials for investigational devices. All patients are screened to determine which device is most suitable to their diagnosis.

Tricuspid Valve Repair and Replacement

Tricuspid valve regurgitation occurs when the valve between the heart’s right atrium and right ventricle does not close properly. If severe and left untreated, patients with triscupid valve regurgitation may develop shortness of breath, swelling in the stomach, leg swelling, and pulmonary hypertension, all of which can be debilitating.

We are currently enrolling high-risk surgical patients in clinical trials using new transcatheter tricuspid valve repair and replacement devices.

Our Locations

We are located at NYU Langone’s Heart Valve Center in Manhattan. We also see patients at the following locations in Brooklyn, Queens, and on Long Island:

• NYU Langone Ambulatory Care Bay Ridge
• NYU Langone Levit Medical
• NYU Langone Ambulatory Care Rego Park
• NYU Langone Cardiovascular Associates—Manhasset

To make an appointment at any of our locations, please call 646-501-0264.