ORANGE PARK – Two Orange Park Medical Center surgeons and a 14-person support team recently completed the first and second Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement surgeries in Clay County.

Youssef Al-Saghir, M.D., board certified interventional cardiologist and board certified cardiothoracic surgeon, Nathan Bates, M.D. performed the surgeries last month. Just hours after the first TAVR, the same team performed a second successful procedure on a different patient.

Doctors replaced the aortic valve of the two patients, both of whom suffered from severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, an inability of the aortic valve to open. TAVR provides a unique option for patients who are not good candidates for traditional open-chest surgery. The minimally invasive surgical procedure repairs the valve without removing the old, damaged valve. Similar to when a stent is placed into an artery, the TAVR procedure involves advancing a fully collapsible replacement valve to the valve site through a catheter, which is guided to the chambers of the heart.

“This is an incredible procedure that serves an unmet need,” Al-Saghir said. “Forty to 60 percent of patients with aortic stenosis who are unable to get surgery due to their own health issues now have an alternative, especially those at older ages. Furthermore, these patients experience less pain, a shorter hospital stay, quicker recovery and a greater chance of long term recovery versus traditional open heart surgery.”

Performing the TAVR procedure requires advanced preparation, testing and consultation with the patient and family. There is also a great deal of collaboration between physicians involved in the patient’s care, which only increases when the actual procedure is being performed, which is why there are upwards of 16 expert physicians and clinicians in the operating room.

“Our new TAVR procedure once again demonstrates Orange Park Medical Center’s and (parent organization) HCA's commitment to innovation and providing the best quality of care for the people of Clay County and Northeast Florida,” Bates said. “TAVR on the heels of robotic mitral valve surgery, more than 200 open hearts being performed last year, and the unprecedented quality and heart accreditations we have received make us proud to be offering such cutting edge services to our region.”