Heart Valve Repair and Replacement at the Health First Valve Clinic.

Heart valve disease can change how your heart pumps blood, affecting your breathing, energy, and daily life. At the Health First Valve Clinic, you’ll receive coordinated, expert care from a dedicated team that specializes in diagnosing and treating valve conditions. Our cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and structural heart specialists work together to determine the safest and most effective treatment for your specific condition — whether that’s valve repair, valve replacement, or a minimally invasive or catheter-based procedure such as TAVR or MitraClip.

What is Heart Valve Disease?

Your heart has four valves — aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonary — that ensure blood flows in the right direction. Valve disease occurs when a valve:

• Narrows (stenosis) and restricts blood flow

• Leaks (regurgitation) and allows blood to flow backward

• Becomes stiff, weak, or damaged due to age, infection, or congenital changes

Common symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath

• Fatigue or reduced stamina

• Chest discomfort

• Heart palpitations

• Swelling in the legs or abdomen

• Dizziness or fainting

If you notice these symptoms, the Valve Clinic can help you get answers and determine whether treatment is needed.

The Health First Valve Clinic: Your Specialized Care Team

Located at Holmes Regional Medical Center, the Health First Valve Clinic provides streamlined, multidisciplinary care for patients with valve disease. Our specialists meet regularly to review imaging, test results, and treatment options — ensuring your care plan is thorough, precise, and tailored to you.

Your Valve Clinic team includes:

• Structural heart cardiologists

• Cardiothoracic surgeons

• Interventional cardiologists

• Advanced cardiac imaging specialists

• Valve nurse navigators

• Cardiac rehabilitation experts

This coordinated approach brings expert perspectives together so you experience faster evaluation, clearer treatment decisions, and stronger long-term outcomes.

Minimally Invasive and Catheter-Based Valve Procedures

Health First offers advanced treatment options that reduce the need for open-heart surgery and support faster recovery.

• Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)

   

  A minimally invasive procedure used to treat aortic stenosis, replacing the aortic valve through a catheter in the leg.

• MitraClip (Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair)

   

  A catheter-based option that treats mitral regurgitation without the need for open-heart surgery.

• Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty (BAV)

   

  Opens a narrowed aortic valve. Often used as a temporary solution or as preparation for TAVR.

• Emerging structural heart therapies

   

   

  For certain cases of tricuspid or pulmonary valve disease, our team evaluates whether catheter-based or minimally invasive options are appropriate.

These advanced techniques often mean smaller incisions, less pain, and a quicker return home.

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