Northwestern’s McHenry hospital performs 100th transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital recently completed its 100th transcatheter aortic valve replacement surgery, a procedure that is less invasive than open heart surgery.

The procedure, also called TAVR, allows surgeons to thread an artificial valve in the form of a catheter to the heart, which is normally used on the groin area, according to a news release from Northwestern Medicine. The valve then expands and takes over as the new aortic valve, replacing the one with disease, and begins regulating blood flow for the person.

“We are proud to have pioneered this minimally invasive option at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (in Chicago), and we are now able to offer this procedure for patients in McHenry County,” Patrick McCarthy, executive director of the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, said in a statement.

The news comes the same week Northwestern Medicine consolidated maternity and neonatal services at its Huntley location, ending all births at the McHenry hospital except emergencies. The move allows Northwestern Medicine to build up its cardiology, neurology, neurosurgery and urology services in McHenry where it has been building up its roster of specialty physicians, officials said.

The TAVR procedure is less invasive than open heart surgery because it can be performed while the heart is still beating, eliminating the need to fully expose the heart during an open heart surgery, according to a news release.

“It is very gratifying to see patients improve their quality of life and who are able to quickly resume their activities,” said Asad Sheikh, the medical director of Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital’s structural heart program.

Doctors at Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital also recently performed a groundbreaking heart procedure. They implanted the first CardioMEMS device, which helps to monitor pulmonary artery pressure in to help patients needing therapy for heart failure.

Northwestern Medicine officials said the two milestone procedures allow them to expand cardiovascular programs in McHenry County in a way that is less invasive and more convenient to patients.