Saint Joseph’s Hospital was selected to participate in Medtronics CoreValve U.S. Clinical Trial. The CoreValve could provide a new therapy for patients with aortic stenosis who are considered inoperable.
As a participating site in this nationwide clinical trial, Saint Joseph’s cardiologists and cardiac surgeons will be evaluating a new, non-surgical alternative to open-heart surgery for patients with severe aortic stenosis (abnormal narrowing of the aortic valve) who are at high risk for surgery or cannot have surgery. During the catheterization, cardiologists will replace a patient’s failing aortic valve with the prosthetic CoreValve which uses self-expandable technology to deploy inside the diseased aortic valve, effectively eliminating the need for open-heart surgery or surgical removal of the native valve. Once the CoreValve is in place, it takes over the native valve’s function, ensuring that oxygen-rich blood flows into the aorta and circulates throughout the body.
Approximately 100,000 people in the U.S. suffer from sever aortic stenosis and one-third are considered inoperable; currently, surgical replacement is the only therapy with significant clinical effect that is available in the United States.
The Medtronic CoreValve U.S. Clinical Trial will enroll a total of more than 1,300 of these patients through 40 U.S. clinical sites. For more information about participating in this clinical trial, contact Rita Campbell, RN, CCRC at 678-843-5578.
For more information about the Medtronic CoreValve U.S. Clinical Trial, visit aorticstenosistrial.com.
