Structural Cardiology

Advanced treatment for structural heart issues

Our cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons specialize in repairing defects of the heart. These defects can be congenital, valve, or vessel abnormalities caused by disease or wear and tear.

A leader in pioneering safer, more effective treatments, Saint Luke's Structural Cardiology Program participates in dozens of clinical trials each year. As a result, we offer patients the most advanced treatments available for structural heart issues.

• The first to perform percutaneous aortic valve replacement in Kansas City
• Among the nation’s first hospitals to perform the MitraClip procedure—and one of only nine in the Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, and Oklahoma region
• Among the first U.S. hospitals to perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
• A leader in developing WATCHMAN and the region’s first hospital to offer this device

The Saint Luke’s difference

As the region’s only hospital providing the full spectrum of care—from prevention to the area’s only adult heart transplant program—Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute has one goal: to get you healthy and back home.

Our structural heart experts offer patients convenient access to advanced procedures and clinical trials under one roof. This means you won’t experience the extra stress of having to rush from building to building for appointments.

And you’ll have full access to our board-certified physicians—many of whom are subspecialists in their respective areas of cardiology. Because many of our physicians have completed advanced fellowship training, Saint Luke’s Health System can offer patients treatment options that they often can’t find elsewhere.

Advanced procedures

Through clinical trials, our heart experts have been instrumental in pioneering the latest minimally-invasive, catheter-based treatments for structural heart issues. These include:

• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)—Patients with severe aortic stenosis who are deemed too high risk for traditional open heart surgery may undergo TAVR.
• WATCHMAN—Patients at risk for embolism but who are unable or unwilling to take the blood thinner warfarin may be candidates for this new heart implant.
• MitraClip®—Patients with mitral regurgitation considered too frail for open heart surgery may benefit from MitraClip, a catheter-based device.
• Melody—Patients with a failing pulmonary valve conduit who aren’t candidates for open heart surgery might benefit from this transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement option.