The big picture
In June, the medical center announced the availability of a newly Food and Drug Administration-approved procedure to treat tricuspid regurgitation, a condition that causes blood to flow backward and potentially strain the heart.
How it works
Dr. Jose Condado Contreras, MD, a cardiologist who has performed the procedure for BSW, said the procedure allows doctors to replace the affected valve by going into a vein accessed through the patient's groin, guided by ultrasound and X-rays.
Measuring the impact
Prior to this procedure's availability, Condado Contreras said patients could opt for a similar treatment, known as a "clip" to attach to the valve and help improve blood flow, or open heart surgery. The latter, he said, can often have complications, while the former remains a viable alternative to the newly approved valve replacement and is conducted in a similar manner using a catheter through a vein.
"There are some patients that do better with one technology than the other," he said. "But patients that needed this replacement option, they either had to go to a place that had a clinical trial that could offer it as part of a clinical study, of which the only place was in Dallas."
According to the hospital system, clinical trials for this procedure show patients report easier breathing, increased energy and greater independence in their daily lives.
