Structural Heart Program

With the advent of new techniques, cardiologists can now perform minimally invasive versions of the procedures needed to repair these disorders using tiny instruments and devices delivered through catheters. That means less discomfort and a faster recovery time for you.

The Structural Heart Program at Stony Brook Medicine takes a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to your heart care, discussing the best approach, collaborating with your cardiologist, keeping you and your family fully informed about your condition and the procedure, and providing the most advanced treatment available. Our goal is to give you a long-lasting and effective treatment with the least amount of invasiveness.

What are Structural Heart Interventions?

Structural heart diseases affect the heart muscle and the valves that regulate blood flow within your heart. Some structural heart diseases are congenital, meaning that you are born with them; others are the result of heart disease or wear on your heart, vessels, and valves as you age. Structural heart diseases can now be treated with catheters (thin, flexible tubes) that are inserted through a small incision in your groin area or in your arm. Tiny special devices are inserted through the catheter and guided to the area in your heart where the treatment is being performed.

The advantages to having a minimally invasive procedure are that you usually receive only light sedation, experience less bleeding, and you recover more quickly than traditional surgical procedures.

Services

Our highly skilled specialists will work closely with you and your physician to determine the best treatment approach for your disorder. Our interventional cardiologists at Stony Brook Medicine are highly regarded for their expertise in repairing patent foramen ovale (PFO), atrial septal defect (ASD), valvular heart problems and alcohol ablation for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. As one of the few hospitals on Long Island using these advanced techniques, our physicians can ensure that you receive the most appropriate treatment.

Our team specializes in minimally invasive interventions to treat:

  • Atrial Septal Defects (ASD): ASD occurs between the two upper chambers of your heart. In this condition, oxygen-rich blood leaks into the right side of the heart and flows back to the lungs. In addition, this extra blood can cause the right atrium, the right ventricle, and the pulmonary artery to become enlarged.
  • Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO): PFO is a condition in which a small flap-like opening in the atrial septum, the muscular wall that separates the two upper heart chambers, fails to seal after birth. Some patients with PFO develop strokes when small blood clots cross from the right atrium to left atrium and ultimately flow to the brain.
  • Paravalvular Leaks: Paravalvular leaks occur when an artificial valve develops a leak behind the valve when a suture holding the valve to the heart tissue breaks.
  • Valve Defects: Valve defects are malformations in one or more of the heart's four main valves. These malformations or defects can prevent the valves from opening or closing completely. When the valves fail to open completely, they constrict the blood flow between heart chambers. When the valves fail to close properly, blood can leak back into the chamber from which it has been expelled.
  • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes excessively thick, most frequently in the ventricular septum, the muscle wall that separates the heart's two lower chambers.

The Stony Brook Difference

Your overall heart care is our top priority. As a full service center, we take you through the complete continuum of care. All of your health care and heart care needs can be met here at the Stony Brook Medicine. Our renowned experts in structural heart interventions have specialized in difficult and complex cases, and we take a multidisciplinary approach to your care.

Our specially trained Nurse Practitioners work closely with you following your procedure to see that you fully understand what is expected during recovery and when you return home. Not only do we see to your heart care in the hospital, we help you return to your daily activities as smoothly as possible.

Our Team

The team of interventional cardiologists at Stony Brook Medicine combines decades of training and experience, the latest in medical techniques, state-of-the-art facilities and advanced technologies in an environment that is patient- and family-friendly to ensure the best possible outcome for you.