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WMC Now Offers Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement With Local Anesthesia

Westchester Medical Center (WMC) recently announced that it is the first hospital in the Hudson Valley region and one of the first in the tri-state area to routinely offer minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with local anesthesia to suitable patients.

Until now the standard way at Westchester Medical Center to perform a TAVR procedure was for patients to be under general anesthesia, which required a temporary breathing tube to be placed in the patient’s airway throughout the procedure. Today, the TAVR team is offering certain patients the option of having the TAVR procedure performed from an access point in the groin, with only IV sedation and local anesthesia—reducing hospital stay and recovery time.

“Having TAVR with IV sedation and local anesthesia is similar to having a cardiac catheterization procedure.” says Dr. Hasan Ahmad, an interventional cardiologist on the TAVR Team at WMC. “It really improves patient safety and comfort as well as it speeds up recovery time, which can reduce their hospital stay.”

TAVR procedures can be done from the groin, from the shoulder or from the chest. However, the groin access is the least invasive approach. Previously, all access approaches were done under general anesthesia, which is not always well tolerated by some older patients. Today, Westchester Medical Center can perform the TAVR procedure via the groin with only IV sedation and local anesthesia. There are only a handful of hospitals in the US that do this routinely and it has a huge positive impact on the patient’s recovery time.

Because of their advanced age, many TAVR patients have a number of co-morbidities and are much better off having the procedure with only IV sedation as opposed to general anesthesia. However, careful screening of patients is a key component to determine a patient’s eligibility to undergo the procedure using only local anesthesia and IV sedation.

To inquire more about TAVR at Westchester Medical Center, contact the Valve Program Hotline at (914)830-1098 or e-mail HeartValve@wcmc.com.

About Westchester Medical Center Spanning every adult and pediatric medical specialty Westchester Medical Center (WMC), the 895-bed regional medical system serving New York’s Hudson Valley region and beyond, encompassing a regional academic medical center, children’s hospital, community hospital, two inpatient behavioral health centers, homecare and numerous outpatient health and related services, serves as a lifeline to the more than 3.5 million people in the Hudson Valley region and beyond. With a total workforce of 7,000 healthcare professionals including 1,200 physicians, Westchester Medical Center is one of the region’s largest sources of employment and economic impact. From prevention to education and treatment, the physicians, health care staff and volunteers at Westchester Medical Center and our MidHudson Regional Hospital have a reputation as the region’s most advanced and innovative health care delivery system.

This article is part of a paid Content Partnership with the advertiser, Westchester Medical Center. Daily Voice has no involvement in the writing of the article and the statements and opinions contained in it are solely those of the advertiser.

To learn more about Content Partnerships, click here.

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