Let the heart valve specialists at OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute and its network of clinics help you experience a healthier, more energetic life. You’ll find complete care for yourself or your child from compassionate cardiologists in central and northern Illinois.
Four valves in your heart open and shut with each heartbeat to keep blood flowing the right way. You can be born with a valve problem or develop conditions such as:
These illnesses often lead to fatigue, chest pain, weakness and irregular heartbeats. If medicine doesn’t ease your symptoms, a cardiologist (heart doctor) may recommend a procedure to treat them.
Your care team uses minimally invasive techniques that reduce pain, scarring and recovery time whenever possible. These alternatives to surgery include:
You can usually return home the day after these procedures.
If you were born with a pulmonary valve problem, a new treatment option could limit the number of surgical procedures you need to repair it. Ask your congenital heart disease team about transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement using the Alterra adaptive pre-stent. The pre-stent is a tiny tube that adapts to the shape of your heart’s anatomy, creating a landing zone for the new pulmonary valve. An interventional cardiology specialist delivers the pre-stent and artificial valve through an artery in your upper thigh.
Adults and children may receive this procedure at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois – Congenital Heart Center in Peoria.
Sometimes, surgery is the best treatment approach for a valve condition. In that case, ask for a referral to a cardiothoracic surgeon near you in:
210 Saint Joseph Drive
Bloomington, IL 61701
5405 North Knoxville Avenue
Peoria, IL 61614
515 Northeast Glen Oak Avenue
Peoria, IL 61603
420 Northeast Glen Oak Avenue
Peoria, IL 61603
444 Roxbury Road
Rockford, IL 61107
1405 West Park Street
Urbana, IL 61801
When possible, a cardiothoracic surgeon will repair your heart valve by reshaping, patching, reattaching or stitching the valve’s flaps. Your surgeon may refer to this as valvuloplasty.
If valve repair isn’t an option for you, a surgeon will replace your valve with one of these types of implants:
After surgery, your care team will help you regain strength, endurance and energy safely with cardiac rehab.
Ask your primary care doctor to refer you to OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute for heart valve treatment. Need a primary care provider? Browse our directory.