Montana’s First Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery at Intermountain Health St. Vincent Hospital (19459000)
Billings, Mont. Woman is the first person in Montana to receive a minimally-invasive procedure for her heart at Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital
Judy Ortt became Montana’s very first TriClip patient, which is a minimally-invasive treatment of tricuspid regurgitation.
Ortt lived for years with an unreliable heart valve that affected the flow of blood through her body.
My heart troubles began about 25 years back, when I was first diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. Ortt stated that the ejection factor (a measurement of heart function at the time) was extremely low. She was able to improve her condition and manage it with medication, and regular monitoring by the heart team of Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital.
Everything was pretty stable for about 20 years. “And then, things began to deteriorate,” said Ortt. Ortt’s St. Vincent heart care team, headed by Robert Terry MD, had recommended this new procedure after a number of treatments including installation of pacemaker, defibrillator and mitral valve clip.
TriClip is a procedure that can be particularly beneficial to patients who have tricuspid reflux and are not candidates for open heart surgery. A catheter is used to deliver the device to the heart, improving its efficiency and function. The procedure, which is performed using a catheter, is less invasive and allows for a quicker recovery. The innovative treatment approach gives patients with limited options new hope.
“Traditionally, the valve procedure has been performed through open heart surgery. “In recent years, technology improvements allowed us to repair some valves using a catheter. This includes the TriClip procedure,” explained Dr. Terry.
Ortt learned that she was the very first person in Montana who had undergone the procedure. It was a big surprise that I wasn’t only the first in Billings but also the first in Montana.
Ortt now participates in cardiac rehab three days per week, and feels a huge difference. I’m able to do more and walk further distances. “I just feel better,” she said.
Dr. Terry explained that evaluating the options of patients such as Ortt is done in a collaborative effort. He said that when a new patient is seen, he and his team evaluate him with their cardiovascular surgeons, cardiologists, structural cardiologists, etc. to decide the best treatment plan for the individual. The whole team deserves credit for seeing the patient doing well.
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Intermountain Health
The company is headquartered in Utah, with additional locations across the Western U.S. Intermountain Health Select Health, with over one million members and a division of Select Health, is an independent nonprofit health system that includes 33 hospitals and 400 clinics. It also offers other services. Intermountain’s mission is to help people lead the healthiest possible lives. It is recognized for its leadership in healthcare transformation by implementing evidence-based practices that consistently produce high-quality results at affordable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/. For more information, see intermountainhealth.org/ or call 801-442-2000.
