The Swedish Structural Heart and Valve Disease Program uses a multidisciplinary approach to address the following conditions and more:

• Aortic stenosis and regurgitation: transcatheter aortic valve replacement, femoral and alternative access
• Prosthetic valve/ring dysfunction: transcatheter valve replacement (aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonic) and paravalvular leak closure
• Mitral stenosis: balloon mitral valvuloplasty, transcatheter mitral valve replacement
• Mitral regurgitation: transcatheter mitral valve repair, transcatheter mitral valve replacement
• Tricuspid regurgitation: transcatheter tricuspid valve repair, transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement
• Atrial fibrillation at high risk of stroke and bleeding: left atrial appendage occlusion
• Stroke prevention: patent foramen ovale closure, embolic protection
• Congenital heart defects: atrial septal defect closure, ventricular septal defect closure, pulmonic vein stenosis
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: septal ablation
• Heart failure/Diastolic dysfunction: shunt therapy
• Fistulas/Pseudoaneurysm: fistula and pseudoaneurysm closure

To perform the above, we coordinate multimodality imaging. This technology allows your doctor to evaluate your heart’s structure and how your heart and valves function before, during and after therapy. It also helps your doctor determine the best possible therapy for your particular needs. Heart imaging technology at Swedish includes:

• Cardiac computerized tomography (cardiac CT)
• Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Cardiac MRI)
• Intracardiac Echocardiography (ICE)
• Rotational Angiography
• Three-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiogram (3D TEE)
• Three-Dimensional Printing

The Structural Heart and Valve Disease team sees patients through referrals from their primary-care providers or cardiologists. This ensures patients receive the most appropriate care.

Patients with a referral from their primary-care provider or a cardiologist, as well as patients who would like a second opinion, may call us to schedule an appointment. Preprocedural visits may be done in person or virtually. Some preprocedural tests will require a visit to Swedish Cherry Hill, others may be done close to home. Contact us at 206-215-4545 for more information.

For outpatient evaluation, physicians may print, complete and fax the Structural Heart and Valve Disease Referral Form.

For direct admissions, The Structural Heart and Valve Disease team works closely with the Swedish Transfer Center to coordinate direct admissions, emergency department evaluations and inpatient consultations. Please call us at 206.215.4545 for more information or the transfer center at 866-470-4BED (866-470-4233).

Swedish is one of the leading clinical trial sites in the western United States. Because the Swedish Structural Heart and Valve Disease team members are national and international leaders in their areas of expertise, they often participate in clinical trials. Many of those clinical trials are only available at Swedish. As a result of prior research trials, Swedish has pioneered the standard of care for many therapies across the world.

It is a privilege to make clinical trials available to our patients. It allows us to consider therapies that may not yet be widely available. Participation in a clinical trial depends on many factors, including strict eligibility requirements. These requirements support our goal of keeping our patients’ best interests in mind and our mission to provide the right therapy for the right patient at the right time. Clinical trials are carefully regulated by federal and state agencies. Once eligibility is determined, however, the final decision to participate in a clinical trial is personal and voluntary, and patients may withdraw from participation at any time.

If you are interested in learning more about clinical trial participation, please call 206-215-1500.

The Swedish Structural Heart and Valve Disease team believes strongly in education. This takes the form of publications and presentations at the national and international level. In addition, we are honored to train future physicians and thought leaders in this field.

Educating the next generation of specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of structural heart and valve disease is an important part of our mission. We offer a one-year fellowship program for structural heart and valve disease. Training includes all aspects of structural heart disease, including imaging and intervention. We are pleased that former fellows of the Swedish Structural Heart and Valve Disease Fellowship have gone on to become leaders in structural heart disease in programs throughout the country.

Applicants must be fully capable graduates of an interventional cardiology fellowship program, and able to practice in the United States and apply for an independent license to practice in the state of Washington. The fellowship program is competitive. One applicant is accepted per year, with training beginning the last week in June/first week in July.

To request more information and/or to apply, please send email to StructuralHeartFellowship@swedish.org and include:

• Most current curriculum vitae
• A personal statement of intent
• Three letters of recommendation, including one from your most recent place of employment
• Three references with contact information

We review applications as they are received. Candidates who pass an initial application screening by the fellowship committee are invited to an onsite interview.

The fellowship year goes from July 1 to June 30. Applications for the upcoming year’s spot will start on July 1. Typically interviews will be held in October-December period.

For more information, please email the program at StructuralHeartFellowship@swedish.org.