blue cross pattern on a light blue gradient

Heart Valve Care

We offer the most advanced, minimally invasive options for heart valve repair and replacement.

Two nurses monitor heart with ultrasound with patient looks at screen

Go with the Flow

Every part of your circulatory system must work together to supply your body with blood, oxygen and nutrients. Your four heart valves play a key role.

Your Heart Valves

Your heart valves should open all the way so the blood can pass through and close tightly so blood flows forward (not backward).

Tricuspid valve controls blood flow between right atrium and right ventricle.
Pulmonic valve controls blood flow between right ventricle and lungs.
Mitral valve controls blood flow between left atrium and left ventricle.
Aortic valve controls blood flow between left ventricle and aorta.

Heart Valve Conditions

Stenosis means a heart valve cannot fully open or close like it should. When this happens, your heart must work harder to push blood through.

Regurgitation occurs when your heart’s valves do not close tightly and allow blood to leak back into the heart.

We treat:

Aortic stenosis and regurgitation
Mitral stenosis and regurgitation
Pulmonic stenosis and regurgitation
Tricuspid stenosis and regurgitation

Treatment

Balloon Valvuloplasty: This minimally invasive procedure opens a narrowed heart valve, sometimes referred to as stenosis. The cardiologist threads a catheter with a balloon through the femoral artery and into the heart. Once in the aortic valve, the balloon is inflated, which forces the valve open so blood can flow freely again. By improving valve function and blood flow, you may avoid or delay open heart surgery and valve replacement.
Mini-valve surgery: Cardiothoracic surgeons perform mitral valve repair/replacement or aortic valve repair/replacement through a three-inch incision. You have fewer complications, decreased blood loss and a quicker recovery. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR): NMMC-Tupelo was the first hospital in Mississippi and west Tennessee to offer transcatheter aortic valve replacement for high-risk patients who suffer from aortic stenosis.
Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair: When the mitral valve fails to close completely, blood leaks backward inside the heart, causing mitral regurgitation. Unlike surgery, percutaneous mitral valve repair does not require opening the chest and temporarily stopping the heart. Instead, our cardiothoracic surgeons access the mitral valve with a thin tube called a catheter that is guided through a vein in the leg to reach the heart. The device is then attached to the mitral valve and allows it to close more completely, helping to restore normal blood flow through the heart.
Open heart surgery remains an option if a minimally invasive procedure is not successful.

Heart Valve Team

You receive a comprehensive functional assessment by specialists in a convenient, outpatient setting. Our team designs a treatment plan and communicates it to you and your referring physician for ongoing care. Our team specializes in minimally invasive heart procedures, avoiding major surgery whenever possible. Your referring physician can access your reports through our electronic medical record.

Murmur Clinic

A heart murmur is a sound, not a disease. While most murmurs are harmless and need little to no treatment, some heart murmurs can indicate serious heart and valve disease.

With 3D echo technology and minimally invasive heart valve replacement and repair, we have the expertise to not only diagnose but also correct these problems.