Abacoa & Alton Neighbors - February 2022

8 Abacoa &Alton N E I G H B O R S | F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 2 EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR The Structural Heart Program at Jupiter Medical Center By William Kokotos, MD, Surgical Director Structural Heart Program For many decades, patients with structural heart diseases could only be helped with open-heart surgery. Thanks to advancements in cardiac care, however, new options are now available for patients suffering from many types of heart disease. Today, minimally invasive approaches designed to treat heart conditions can offer alternatives to traditional open surgeries. Structural heart specialists can replace heart valves and repair structural heart defects without the large incisions used in standard open-heart surgery. These small incision surgeries and “transcatheter” procedures are less invasive and often result in less pain, less scarring and a shorter recovery period. Structural heart disease refers to defects in the valves, or walls of the heart chambers. The term also encompasses conditions that one is born with, acquired by injury, infection or developed over time by aging. Structural heart conditions may include: • Aortic valve stenosis • Aortic insufficiency • Mitral valve regurgitation. • Tricuspid valve regurgitation • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy • Holes in the heart, including atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) Additionally, arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation may have structural heart implications because they can lead to blood clots forming within the left atrial appendage of the heart. Recognizing the need for more advanced treatment options, The Robson Heart & Vascular Institute at Jupiter Medical Center created a dedicated Structural Heart Program. Led by William Kokotos, MD, a pioneer in structural heart procedures, his addition to the hospital’s heart center further expands the treatment options for patients with heart disease. Dr. Kokotos was Chief of Cardiac Surgery at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island (NYULH-LI) prior to his tenure at Jupiter Medical Center. He initiated and directed the program that performed the first commercial percutaneous mitral valve repair on Long Island, NY.