SL_St Mary Medical profile_0225_V4FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 3 / 4 / 25 1 : 04 PM Page 1 by Matt Cosentino Heart’s in the Right Place The cardiovascular team at St . Mary Medical Center offers Dr . Hitesh Raheja local patients the most - advanced life - changing procedures , has become common over the past five years . including transcatheter aortic valve replacement . “ Basically we go through the groin and up to the heart to replace the aortic valve , without opening the chest or going inside the he old saying that “ age is just a number ” heart , ” Dr . Raheja says . “ The main advantage certainly seems to apply to Newtown resi - of the procedure is that most of our patients Tdent Larry Hurst . At 88 , Hurst is more active go home the next day and can resume their than many people 30 or 40 years younger than normal activities . ” him . His exercise regimen includes regular trips Hurst could not have been happier with his to the gym , Tai chi classes with his wife , and tak - results . ing walks around their home in Pennswood Vil - “ I had two incisions , one on either side in lage . the groin , and they healed pretty quickly , ” he Last year , however , Hurst was slowing down says . “ There was no damage to my chest , and I over the course of a six - month period , a devel - didn’t feel a thing . It’s a wonderful modern pro - opment he attributed to his age finally catching cedure.They kept me overnight for observation up to him . He was experiencing shortness of and the next day I went home with no pain . I breath and fatigue , and was going to bed earlier would definitely recommend the team at St . at night and sleeping in later in the morning . He Mary . ” didn’t believe it to be anything too serious — until Dr . Raheja adds that TAVR is an excellent his annual checkup . Hurst’s primary care doctor option for patients ages 70 and older , as well referred him to the cardiovascular team at St . as for younger patients who are not good can - Mary Medical Center for further evaluation , and didates for open - heart surgery because of their an echocardiogram and CT scan revealed severe weight or high blood pressure . tightening of his aortic valve . “ If you wanted to replace a heart valve in ces “ Theylooked at some pictures and said , ‘ You someonewho was not a good surgical candidate ien have some pretty severe aortic stenosis , and it’s in the past , there were no other options , ” he esc potentially blocking the flow of blood from the says . “ The patient just eventually went into heart Lif heart to the rest of the body . We have to do failureand then died . But with this transcatheter rds somethingabout it , ’ ” Hurst recalls . “ It came as a treatment , we’re able to offer aortic valve re - dwa complete surprise . … They really wanted to re - placement.In many cases , the results are similar E f place that valve . So I said , ‘ Thank you and yes , to — andeven better than — open - heart surgery . ” o sy please . ’ Without that , I might not be here today Dr . Raheja , who joined St . Mary’s team last rte and my wife would have been left wondering summer , believes the hospital’s commitment to cou whathappened . ” advanced technology and surgical excellence es In October 2024 , Hurst underwent tran - makes it an ideal destination for structural and ag scatheter aortic valve replacement ( TAVR ) , a interventional cardiology procedures — TAVR in im R minimallyinvasiveprocedure to replace an aortic particular . He continues to monitor Hurst , who AV valvethat is not opening fully . TAVR uses smaller is thriving post - surgery . T p ; incisionsthan open - heart surgery , and as a result “ The problem with aortic stenosis is the nla patients experience less postoperative pain and symptoms , ” Dr . Raheja says . “ [ If not treated ] , Du haveshorter hospital stays . eventually you will go into heart failure and die . on Hitesh Raheja , M.D . , a structural and inter - Butalso , if you have tight aortic valves , other sur - is When patient Larry Hurst’s aortic valve Al was not opening fully , Dr . Hitesh Raheja ventional cardiologist at St . Mary , explains that gerieswill not be done because [ of the potential by performed a transcatheter aortic valve TAVR has been in use since around 2010 and risks from ] anesthesia . [ Hurst ] was not able to to replacement , also known as TAVR . o have the hernia repair and cataract surgeries he ph needed . After his TAVR , he was able to have eja thoseprocedures done . He can walk better and h St.MaryMedical Center Ra exercise more , is sleeping better , and is full of . 1201 Newtown - Langhorne Road | Langhorne , PA 19047 | ( 215 ) 710 - 2000 | trinityhealthma.org Dr ? energy.He feels like a new person . ” SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM VOLUME 16 ISSUE 4 | 19