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Lenox Hill Hospital First in New York State to
Perform Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Replacement
NEW YORK — A 76-yearold
woman from Flushing,
Queens, was the first patient
in New York and only the
second in the entire country
to undergo a percutaneously
implanted mitral valve
replacement.
The procedure,
performed in February, was
executed conjointly by Lenox
Hill Hospital’s Carlos Ruiz,
MD, director of the Structural
and Congenital Heart Disease
Program of the Department
of Interventional Cardiology,
and Gregory P. Fontana, MD,
chairman of the Department of
Cardiothoracic Surgery. This
minimally invasive procedure
is used to repair a blocked or
leaky mitral heart valve that
had previously been replaced.
The replacement valve is
inserted percutaneously
through a vein in the groin
and positioned within the
72 Summer 2012
mitral valve. It is an option for
individuals who are at high risk
for undergoing a second openheart
surgery given their age or
current medical condition.
“Transcatheter valve
replacement is a major
breakthrough in the treatment
of heart disease and is part
of an important trend in
which minimally invasive
procedures are used in place of
traditionally invasive surgical
procedures,” noted Dr. Ruiz.
“What is unique at Lenox
Hill Hospital is the close
collaboration between the
interventional cardiologists
and the heart surgeons. The
doctors often review and
discuss all available test results
to offer a joint opinion to
ensure that each patient
receives the best treatment for
his or her particular problem.”
“It is a true
multidisciplinary effort,”
added Dr. Fontana.
“Cardiologists, cardiac
surgeons and vascular surgeons
all work together in a single
setting with a single goal:
to provide extraordinary,
minimally invasive, efficient
heart care to patients suffering
from all forms of heart disease
and vascular disease.”
Girl Scouts Find a
Few Good Babies
It’s never too early to recruit new
members, which is why the Girl Scouts
of Nassau County came to LIJ’s Katz
Women’s Hospital this spring to present
honorary memberships to all baby
girls born on March 12, 2012, the 100th
anniversary of Girl Scouting in America.
Pictured are four new recruits with
their mothers, members of Girl Scouts
of Nassau County and the leadership of
Katz Women’s Hospital.