COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Baylor Scott & White Health launched a transcatheter aortic value replacement (TAVR) program at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center –College Station. With six TAVR programs, Baylor Scott & White continues to be home to Texas’ largest TAVR program, having performed more than 3,600 TAVRs. Baylor Scott & White is also a top-five provider of TAVR nationally.
“Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – College Station is the first and only hospital between Temple and Houston to offer this procedure,” said William Rayburn, MD, chief medical officer of Baylor Scott & White– College Station. “I am so thankful for the perseverance and teamwork that made this happen.”
Baylor Scott & White – College Station’s commitment to cardiac care began six weeks after opening its hospital doors, performing its first open heart surgery. Since then, the hospital has grown its cardiovascular services, achieving accreditation as a chest pain center, reflecting the organization’s commitment to providing evidence-based care that prioritizes quality care and patient safety.
With the addition of the new TAVR program, patients diagnosed with aortic stenosis now have a minimally invasive heart procedure option closer to home, providing convenience and new access to an innovative treatment. As an alternative to open-heart surgery, this procedure has demonstrated fewer complications and shortened recovery time of one to three days in the hospital, with the typical patient being discharged the next day.
“This new procedure can provide a better quality of life for patients suffering from heart valve disease,” said William Gray, MD, medical director of the structural heart program at Baylor Scott & White– College Station. “This new procedure means patients in the Brazos Valley can stay local, recover close to home and be near loved ones during their stay at the hospital.”
Aortic stenosis is one of the most common and serious valve diseases, affecting an estimated 1.5 million people in the U.S. In 2012, the FDA approved TAVR as a non-surgical alternative for high-risk surgical patients with aortic stenosis, a condition that occurs when the heart's aortic valve narrows and reduces or blocks blood flow from a heart to the aorta. With additional trials, the FDA approved TAVR for medium-risk surgical patients, and recently, low-risk surgical patients, after clinical trials demonstrated successful outcomes.
Baylor Scott & White– College Station joins five Baylor Scott & White hospitals that offer TAVR:
- Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Round Rock
- Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital – Plano
- Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas
- Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth
- Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple
TAVR research at all facilities is led through Baylor Scott & White Research Institute. Learn more about Baylor Scott & White Health's TAVR clinical research on Scrubbing.In.
Learn more about Baylor Scott & White Health's heart valve disease treatment options.
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About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com
