Infirmary Health’s Heart & Vascular Institute performs Mobile’s first minimally invasive mitral valve replacement

Infirmary Health's Heart & Vascular Institute successfully performed the first transfemoral MViV, Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR), in the Mobile region. The procedure was performed by Chad McRee, M.D., structural cardiologist with Cardiology Associates, who was assisted by William Johnson, III, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon with Cardio-Thoracic & Vascular Surgical Associates, and the cath lab team at Mobile Infirmary.

TMVR replaces the mitral valve in the heart without needing conventional open-heart surgery. TMVR is minimally invasive and uses a catheter-based approach for patients whose existing mitral valve (native or prosthesis) is diseased and failing. The mitral valve is one of four valves in the heart. These valves ensure that blood flows properly in one's heart. Infirmary Health’s catheterization and open-heart surgical centers provide patients with immediate surgical care to correct serious heart issues, including inserting stents and replacement valves.

"The types of patients we care for and the procedures we perform in the Heart & Vascular Institute are remarkably complex," says Dr. Johnson. "It requires much coordination to get the right procedure done for the right patient at the right time. The Heart & Vascular Institute is a way to move forward with better coordination, the direction of resources, and new procedures as they come to the community."

Infirmary Health's Heart & Vascular Institute comprises physicians and specialists across cardiology, cardiovascular, vascular and thoracic services. This award-winning team provides some of the most comprehensive, state-of-the-art heart care across the Gulf Coast Region.