Complete, Convenient Heart Care Close to Home
Structural heart disease involves conditions that affect the heart’s valves, muscles, chambers and walls. These conditions may be congenital (present from birth). They also can develop as you age or because of an illness or infection. These conditions can make your heart work harder to pump blood, which can lead to heart weakening, damage and problems with blood flow throughout the body. In some cases, you could be at risk for life-threatening complications, such as heart failure or sudden cardiac arrest.
If you have a structural heart condition, you need regular monitoring and expert care from providers who are experts in these diseases. Our team at St. Luke’s Heart & Vascular Center is here for you. Healthgrades® has named us one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery™ since 2019. And our team has vast experience in providing the latest treatment options for patients with all types of structural heart disease.
Types of Structural Heart Disease We Treat
We treat a wide range of structural heart disease types, including:
- Heart valve disease
- Cardiomyopathy (conditions that involve enlarged or weakened heart muscle), including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
- Congenital (present from birth) heart conditions, including atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO), different types of holes in the walls of the heart that divide its chambers
How We Diagnose Structural Heart Disease
In some cases, we can diagnose structural heart disease during pregnancy. Your OBGYN may use a fetal echocardiogram (a test that uses sound to create images of an unborn baby’s heart) to screen for congenital structural heart disease.
In many cases, your provider may first suspect a structural heart condition if you have a heart murmur (a whooshing, rasping or swishing sound heard during a heartbeat) during an exam. We use several tests to check for possible structural heart disease, including:
- Cardiac catheterization
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Computed tomography (CT) scan
- Echocardiogram
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG, a test that measures the heart’s electrical activity), including a Holter monitor (a type of electrocardiogram that measures the heart over a period of 24 hours or longer)
Our Structural Heart Disease Treatment Options
In some cases, you may not need treatment for your structural heart disease, depending on the type and your symptoms. However, you will need regular monitoring throughout your life to make sure your condition isn’t getting worse.
If you do need treatment for your condition, we offer a full range of treatments for structural heart disease, including:
- Medication therapy
- Minimally invasive procedures, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), MitraClip and WATCHMAN
- Open-heart procedures if you’re not a good candidate for minimally invasive options
You and your doctor will discuss your treatment options and decide on the right plan for you.