Yale New Haven Health Heart & Vascular Center

Yale New Haven Health Heart and Vascular Center (HVC) is well-established as a provider of exceptional care and offers treatment options if you or a loved one has heart valve disease. Our commitment to delivering outstanding care includes a fully integrated cardiac surgery program at Bridgeport and Yale New Haven hospitals.

Yale New Haven Hospital received the Mitral Valve Repair
Reference Award for 2020 and 2021

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A Leader in Advanced Aortic Valve Surgery

The Heart and Vascular Center at Yale New Haven Hospital is a leader in cardiac surgery for aortic valve reconstruction and offers a new, advanced surgical procedure that uses a patient’s own tissue to create a new aortic valve. A valve may need repair or replacement if there is narrowing (stenosis) of the valve opening or leakage (regurgitation), causing blood to flow backward, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood forward efficiently.

We offer a procedure called aortic valve neo-cuspitization (AVNeo™, also known as Ozaki procedure). The diseased aortic valve is removed and a new valve is made from the patient’s own pericardial tissue. During this process, the new leaflets are individually measured for the patient and prepared using the AVNeo™ system. The three new leaflets are then connected with sutures to the patient’s preserved aortic valve ring. Benefits of the reconstructed heart valve include improved blood flow compared to conventional artificial heart valves and unlikely need for a permanent pacemaker. This procedure is especially suited for patients with either aortic valve stenosis or regurgitation under age 60 who do not want a prosthesis valve made from synthetic materials. This procedure also relieves most patients from having to take blood-thinner medication (anti-coagulant).

Meet Our Heart Valve Specialists

Yale New Haven Health Heart & Vascular Center has assembled a special team of heart valve specialists that are committed to getting patients the best results. Our team consists of many leading surgeons and cardiologists that you can learn more about by clicking the links below:

Our Patients Say

I was diagnosed with mitral regurgitation many years ago. So, I had been in “watchful waiting” for quite some time. When I became symptomatic with water retention, shortness of breath and ... Read more.

Have A Question? Call Eileen at (203) 884-7078

Eileen Taylor

Hi, my name is Eileen Taylor and I am the heart valve clinic coordinator for Yale New Haven Health Heart & Vascular Center.

My entire nursing career has centered around caring for cardiac surgical patients. I’m honored to be a team member of Yale New Haven Hospital’s robotic valve repair program.

My role includes educating our patients preoperatively, following their hospitalization, and supporting them during their recovery at home. My greatest joy is hearing patients are back to living their lives to the fullest after ... Read more.

Clinical References For Our Patients

To help you learn more about Yale New Haven Health Heart & Vascular Center, here are references for you: