Marian Regional Medical Center Enhances Cardiac Program with Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

SANTA MARIA, CA – February 1, 2023 – Marian Regional Medical Center (MRMC) is pleased to announce that it is now offering qualified patients the innovative cardiac procedure of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Marian interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and cardiologists recently performed the first TAVR procedure. TAVR involves replacing an aortic valve that is not opening properly to better allow the heart to pump blood to the body. Prior to the FDA’s approval of TAVR, the only way to do this was through open heart surgery and patients with narrowed aortic valves who did not wish to undergo surgery or were considered to be high risk for surgery had limited options.

“TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure that replaces the aortic valve in patients with severe aortic stenosis, a type of heart valve disease,” says Marian Regional Medical Center Interventional Cardiologist Mansoor Arain, MD. “This disease becomes more prevalent as we age, and TAVR can be an effective option not only to improve quality of life but to prolong life in such patients. Most patients are able to return home safely the next day and the recovery is very straightforward. We have a great team with a lot of prior experience and are pleased to be able to offer this procedure to our community.”

Traditional open heart surgery to replace an aortic valve involves cutting open the chest. TAVR provides a much less invasive option, with no opening of the chest necessary. TAVR uses a catheter to deliver a collapsible replacement valve to the site of the narrowed valve through a roughly quarter-inch incision in the groin. When the new valve has been expanded, it pushes the old valve leaflets out of the way and takes over regulating blood flow. 

 “The recent addition of TAVR to our already comprehensive cardiac program aligns with our commitment to providing state-of-the-art care to our community, and mitigates the need for heart patients to travel,” says Marian Regional Medical Center President and CEO, Sue Andersen. “In addition, we are able to provide a minimally invasive option for patients, which reduces recovery time and offers them improved survival rates and quality of life.”

Marian Regional Medical Center's Sue J. Sword Heart Center brings advanced technology together with a team of heart care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of heart conditions to deliver quality care for our community. This new procedure enhances the already robust program. Only a handful of hospitals, including MRMC, are able to perform this leading-edge technological procedure.

About Marian Regional Medical Center

Marian Regional Medical Center is a state-of-the-art, 191-bed medical center located in Santa Maria, California. The modern facility is home to a broad array of services including a level II trauma center, a level III neonatal intensive care unit, a nationally recognized cardiac care center, and boasts the Central Coast’s only Comprehensive Community Cancer Program as recognized by the Commission on Cancer. Marian has been recognized for quality and patient safety and named one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals by Healthgrades® for three consecutive years. It has also been recognized as a 2023 Coronary Intervention Excellent Award recipient by Healthgrades®. 

Marian Regional Medical Center together with Arroyo Grande Community Hospital in Arroyo Grande, and French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, comprise Dignity Health Central Coast, a network of hospitals, physicians, and outpatient services including physician offices, ambulatory surgery centers, technologically-advanced laboratories and imaging centers, and a full service home health agency. Learn more at dignityhealth.org/marianregional.