Heart Valve Repair
Heart Valve Repair and Replacement at the Health First Valve Clinic.
Heart valve disease can change how your heart pumps blood, affecting your breathing, energy, and daily life. At the Health First Valve Clinic, you’ll receive coordinated, expert care from a dedicated team that specializes in diagnosing and treating valve conditions. Our cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and structural heart specialists work together to determine the safest and most effective treatment for your specific condition — whether that’s valve repair, valve replacement, or a minimally invasive or catheter-based procedure such as TAVR or MitraClip.
What is Heart Valve Disease?
Your heart has four valves — aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonary — that ensure blood flows in the right direction. Valve disease occurs when a valve:
- Narrows (stenosis) and restricts blood flow
- Leaks (regurgitation) and allows blood to flow backward
- Becomes stiff, weak, or damaged due to age, infection, or congenital changes
Common symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue or reduced stamina
- Chest discomfort
- Heart palpitations
- Swelling in the legs or abdomen
- Dizziness or fainting
If you notice these symptoms, the Valve Clinic can help you get answers and determine whether treatment is needed.
The Health First Valve Clinic: Your Specialized Care Team
Located at Holmes Regional Medical Center, the Health First Valve Clinic provides streamlined, multidisciplinary care for patients with valve disease. Our specialists meet regularly to review imaging, test results, and treatment options — ensuring your care plan is thorough, precise, and tailored to you.
Your Valve Clinic team includes:
- Structural heart cardiologists
- Cardiothoracic surgeons
- Interventional cardiologists
- Advanced cardiac imaging specialists
- Valve nurse navigators
- Cardiac rehabilitation experts
This coordinated approach brings expert perspectives together so you experience faster evaluation, clearer treatment decisions, and stronger long-term outcomes.
Minimally Invasive and Catheter-Based Valve Procedures
A minimally invasive procedure used to treat aortic stenosis, replacing the aortic valve through a catheter in the leg.
A catheter-based option that treats mitral regurgitation without the need for open-heart surgery.
Opens a narrowed aortic valve. Often used as a temporary solution or as preparation for TAVR.
For certain cases of tricuspid or pulmonary valve disease, our team evaluates whether catheter-based or minimally invasive options are appropriate.
These advanced techniques often mean smaller incisions, less pain, and a quicker return home.
FAQs
The Health First Valve Clinic specializes in diagnosing and treating heart valve disease, including aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, tricuspid valve problems, and other structural heart conditions. A team of cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and structural heart specialists work together to determine whether you need valve repair, valve replacement, or a minimally invasive procedure like TAVR or MitraClip.
You may need valve repair or replacement if you have symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, or swelling in the legs. At the Valve Clinic, specialists evaluate your imaging, heart function, and symptoms to determine whether repair, replacement, or a catheter-based treatment is the safest and most effective option.
The Valve Clinic treats aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis, tricuspid valve disease, pulmonary valve disease, congenital valve problems, and age-related valve degeneration.
Health First offers advanced minimally invasive treatments including TAVR (aortic valve replacement), MitraClip (mitral valve repair), balloon valvuloplasty, and select catheter-based tricuspid and pulmonary therapies. These options often involve smaller incisions, less pain, and shorter recovery times.
TAVR, or Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat aortic stenosis. Instead of opening the chest, a new valve is placed through a catheter, usually inserted through an artery in the leg. It’s ideal for patients who may not be good candidates for traditional open-heart surgery.
MitraClip is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat mitral valve regurgitation. A small clip is attached to the mitral valve to reduce leakage, helping improve breathing, energy, and heart function — all without open-heart surgery.
Recovery depends on the type of procedure. Most catheter-based treatments, like TAVR or MitraClip, require an overnight hospital stay. Minimally invasive surgery typically requires a few days of recovery, while open-heart surgery may take several weeks. Your Valve Clinic team will provide recovery plans tailored to your procedure.
Most patients undergo an echocardiogram, CT scan, EKG, blood work, and sometimes cardiac catheterization. These tests help the Valve Clinic team understand your valve function, your heart’s anatomy, and which treatment option is best.
Yes. Many patients are candidates for minimally invasive or catheter-based procedures like TAVR or MitraClip. These treatments avoid a chest incision and typically allow you to return home sooner with less recovery time.
In most cases, your cardiologist or primary care provider can refer you to the Valve Clinic. If you’re experiencing symptoms of valve disease, you can also contact the clinic directly to learn how to get started by calling 321.434.3455.
After your procedure, you’ll receive follow-up care that may include imaging tests, medication adjustments, and referral to cardiac rehabilitation. The Valve Clinic nurse navigator helps coordinate your recovery and ensures you know what to expect at every step.
The Health First Valve Clinic is located at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Brevard County, providing easy access to advanced heart care close to home.