Don’t give your heart to just anyone.
At Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, your heart health is our number one priority. Our cardiologists, structural heart specialists, cardiothoracic surgeons, anesthesiologists, and other specialists have joined forces to create a partnership approach to provide exceptional care focused on getting patients back to the lives they love.
Together, our team combines years of education, training, and experience with advanced medical techniques and sophisticated technologies in a patient-centered environment. Shared decision-making with open communication between team members, patients and their families, and referring health care providers are important keys to our successful patient outcomes.
What is structural heart disease?
The Structural Heart Program allows for minimally invasive surgery to treat structural heart disease. These diseases affect the heart’s valves, chambers, walls, and pockets. Our program brings the latest minimally-invasive procedures and catheter-based interventions to Maine.
Structural heart diseases involve the heart’s anatomy or “structures” — valves, chambers, walls, and pockets. When the heart’s parts are not shaped correctly or damaged, blood flow can be altered, and major complications such as stroke, heart failure, or sudden cardiac arrest can follow. Some of these conditions are present from birth (congenital), while others can be acquired later in life.
Until recently, the only way to treat moderate-to-severe structural heart disease was with open-chest surgery. Since the creation of our Structural Heart Program, we are proud to bring many recently approved medical advancements using minimally-invasive procedures and catheter-based interventions to the people of Maine.
Contact us for more information about our program.
Watchman
This device offers an alternative to the lifelong use of warfarin for people with atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem. This permanent heart implant effectively reduces the risk of stroke — without the risk of bleeding that can come with the long-term use of warfarin, the most common blood thinner. In a clinical trial, nine out of ten people were able to stop taking warfarin just 45 days after the Watchman procedure. Click here for more information.
MitraClip
Transcatheter mitral valve repair is catheter-based technology that uses a small clip attached to the mitral valve to treat mitral regurgitation, which is when blood leaks back into the heart through the mitral valve. MitraClip allows the mitral valve to close more completely, helping to restore normal blood flow through the heart. It’s a less invasive treatment option for patients who are not good candidates for surgery. Click here for more information.
TAVR
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a catheter-based technology that inserts a replacement aortic valve while the heart is still beating. TAVR eliminates the need for an incision in the chest wall, relying instead on a minimally invasive approach. This makes the use of a heart-lung bypass machine unnecessary and provides a shorter, more comfortable recovery period when compared to a surgical aortic valve replacement. Click here for more information.
ASD/PFO Closure
Atrial septal defect (ASD) closure and patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure are other minimally invasive catheter-based procedures that use a small, mesh, clam-shell-like device to seal abnormal communications between the chambers of the heart. ASD closure is used to seal congenital defects in the heart’s septum that can lead to pulmonary hypertension and heart failure. PFO closure, used more commonly, seals a remnant channel in the heart’s septum that in some patients can increase the risk of stroke. In recent years, there has been increasing evidence that PFO closure is more effective than blood thinners alone in preventing recurrent stroke in a younger patient with no other obvious cause. Click here for more information.
Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)
Northern Light Health wants every patient to get the full value of our medical care. Successfully treating atrial fibrillation (AFib) requires specialized treatments, careful monitoring and lifestyle changes. We know following your personalized treatment plan can seem overwhelming, especially for patients with other conditions or stress factors. That is why we provide atrial fibrillation patients with specially trained care providers. Just one more way Northern Light Health is by your side, every step of the way.
Click here for more information.
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