Yale New Haven Health receives Transcatheter Valve Certification

New Haven, CT (February 5, 2024) – Yale New Haven Health’s (YNHHS) Heart and Vascular Center is the first and only health system in Connecticut to receive Transcatheter Valve Certification by the American College of Cardiology (ACC). Recent recertification at Yale New Haven Hospital and initial certification at Bridgeport Hospital is affirmation of the expertise, quality and safety of care, and outstanding outcomes achieved in treating patients who need transcatheter valve replacement.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement TAVR) is a minimally invasive procedure to replace the aortic valve in patients with aortic stenosis (a condition where the valve is narrowed and does not fully open). Because the procedure is performed without surgically opening the chest, patients recover quicker and are discharged sooner. When patients undergo TAVR, a team of interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons replaces the aortic valve by inserting a replacement valve on a catheter which enters the body through a small incision in the chest, groin or wrist. Once in position, the new valve is expanded pushing aside the leaflets of the old valve (the flaps that open and close) allowing blood to flow without obstruction.

"We are proud that the Structural Heart Program at Yale New Haven Health Heart and Vascular Center and now Bridgeport Hospital has been recertified and certified, respectively, by ACC for Transcatheter Valve Certification,” said John Forrest, MD, director of Structural Heart Program, YNHHS and associate professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine (YSM). “This achievement highlights our talented and experienced team and the quality of care that has come because of a multidisciplinary approach to providing evidence-based, patient-centered care in a shared decision-making format.” TAVR is performed at Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) and Bridgeport Hospital (BH), with patient pre- and post-care locations at Yale New Haven Health facilities across the state from Greenwich Hospital to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital.

“This accreditation process for our team at Bridgeport Hospital guarantees that our patients are receiving exceptional, evidence-based care with high quality outcomes,” said Chirag Shah, MD, director, Structural Heart Program, Bridgeport Hospital. “We are grateful for the talent and leadership of Dr. Forrest and the extraordinary Heart and Vascular Center staff who contribute to this care daily. This clearly highlights the value YNHHS places on quality improvement and cardiac patient care, long-term consistency and support by the medical leadership, administration and support staff for the program.”

ACC certification focuses on the essential quality components pertaining to TAVR and now includes requirements for mitral valve transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) procedures. It provides a framework to ensure hospitals are meeting high quality standards for transcatheter multidisciplinary heart teams, formalized training and shared decision-making. Moreover, it employs the facility’s heavily invested transcatheter and surgical valve data collection efforts and performance metrics to influence clinical decisions and address quality improvement opportunities.

In 2021, the Structural Heart Program at Yale New Haven Heart and Vascular Center received initial Transcatheter Valve Certification from the ACC, the first in the state of Connecticut. In July 2021, the Heart and Vascular Center at Yale New Haven Hospital was the first hospital in Connecticut to perform TAVR for patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis. Bridgeport Hospital began performing TAVR in 2016 and just received ACC certification, the second hospital in the state to achieve the designation.

Today, physicians at YNHH lead nationwide studies in the field of TAVR, overseeing research that has enabled TAVR to be available to all patients regardless of their surgical risk.

Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in Connecticut, is recognized for advanced clinical care, quality, service, cost effectiveness and commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves. YNHHS includes five hospitals – Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial, Westerly and Yale New Haven hospitals, several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a non-profit medical foundation with several hundred community-based and hospital-employed physicians. YNHHS is affiliated with Yale University and Yale Medicine, the clinical practice of the Yale School of Medicine and the largest academic multi-specialty practice in New England. Yale New Haven Hospital is the primary teaching hospital of Yale School of Medicine. www.ynhhs.org