SEATTLE — Long-time attorney Larry Finegold has worked on legal issues for most of his life. But an appointment with his cardiologist revealed something out of order with his health.
"They said that my aorta, the valve, I think he used the word, 'rusty,' and that I needed a valve replacement at some point," Finegold said.
Wanting to get it done sooner than later, Finegold was recommended to experts at Swedish’s Heart & Vascular Institute.
"Valves are like doors, they open, they close. So, they fail because they either don't open well or they don't close well," said Dr. Sameer Gafoor the Medical Director of Structural Heart Diseases at Swedish Medical Center.
After several tests, Dr. Gafoor found Finegold to be a perfect patient for a procedure called TAVR, or Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.
"What does transcatheter mean? Transcatheter means a minimally invasive procedure coming from one of the leg arteries to go up over a small wire and then, kind of like a catheter, which is basically a straw, and through that straw you deliver the valve. So, Aortic Valve Replacement."
For those who qualify, TAVR is not only a safer alternative to open heart surgery, it also significantly cuts down on recovery time.
"This allows people to go back to all of their activities, to all of their kids, graduations, grandkids, weddings and to all the different things that make life worth living," Dr. Gafoor said.
Doctor Gafoor and the staff at Swedish perform several TAVR surgeries every week.
"So many people come to Providence Swedish for their care, sometimes from other hospitals. And with that, we're one of the top 5% of TAVR centers in the whole country," said Dr Gafoor. "We come through the leg and through the wrist, put the valve in place inside the old one, pushing it out to the side."
According to Dr. Gafoor, the procedure takes about 40 minutes.
"This valve is now opening and closing, very similar to a naturally healthy, normal aortic valve, and so that allows blood to go through and allows this chamber to not be under as much stress as before," Dr. Gafoor said.
The day after Finegold had the TAVR procedure, he was out of the hospital.
"I went home that day and took it easy for maybe a day, and within a day or two, I was walking two or three miles, and by the end of the week, I was up to four or five miles a day."
"Larry's doing great. Larry has just finished up a vacation," Dr. Gafoor said. "And I think he's able to do that with a clear conscience and a clear heart because of his time with us at Providence Swedish, and we're grateful to be a part of his journey."
Sponsored by Providence Swedish