“You’re never too old to want to feel better."
Never one to sit on the sidelines, Frank always enjoyed playing sports and remained active after retirement. At 86 years young, he led his Marlboro adult community’s bocce and shuffleboard teams to victory. But, last year Frank began feeling tired and short of breath. Within a couple of months he couldn’t walk up a small hill without taking a rest.
Like many seniors, Frank was diagnosed with aortic stenosis. One of his heart valves had become narrow and stiff, which prevented it from opening and closing completely. His heart had to work harder to pump blood through the valve. Until recently, the only treatment for aortic valve disease was open heart surgery.
Our Heart Centers are one of the few centers in the nation where an expert
team of cardiac specialists can replace the aortic valve with a catheter
procedure known as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Using
state-of-the-art imaging technology, a synthetic valve is threaded to
the heart on the tip of a catheter. Once it is precisely placed, the new
valve is expanded and begins to function immediately.
Frank has regained his stamina and is looking forward to spring and the
start of a new bocce and shuffleboard season.
“You’re never too old to want to feel better,” he said.