Baptist Health Floyd growing structural heart program
Dr. Raza and Dr. Singh recently performed the first MitraClip procedure at the hospital.
(September 22, 2022) - New Albany, IN - Interventional Cardiologist Syed Raza, MD, said Baptist Health Floyd was a much different hospital when he arrived in 2007. The community hospital he remembers walking into that day has seen dramatic growth in both appearance and services offered.
“Seeing all this expansion … we have done well and are now expanding our area of services,” he said. “It has been great to see.”
One area that has seen tremendous growth is cardiac services. With the arrival of Interventional Cardiologist Vikas Singh, MD, recently, Baptist Health Floyd is focusing on growing its structural heart program. Dr. Raza and Dr. Singh recently performed the first MitraClip procedure at the hospital.
The minimally invasive trans-catheter procedure is used to correct a leaky valve on the left side of the heart in patients who are not able to undergo open-heart surgery. The patients have to stay overnight following the procedure but are able to go home the next day.
“It’s a very controlled procedure,” Dr. Singh said.
He added that being able to perform this procedure now at Baptist Health Floyd marks the start of the structural heart program. He said cardiologist would soon be able to perform trans-catheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) at the hospital, possibly as early as next month.
“We want to be able to offer all structural heart procedures to Southern Indiana patients,” Dr. Singh said. “We are just excited to bring the entire area of structural heart procedures with minimally invasive techniques and least recovery time to Baptist Health Floyd. We are able to close heart defects, replace and repair heart valves.”
The program will get another boost later this year when a hybrid operating room, which will be used for these types of procedures, will open. It is currently being constructed.
“It combines a place where the team can work together under one roof, in one room with one patient. It’s a big deal for the patient,” he said.
Baptist Health Floyd also performs the WatchmanFlxTM procedure to patients with atrial fibrillation who want to quit taking, or are unable to take, blood thinners.
The MitraClip procedure has been around for about 10 years.
“This is an exciting time for folks in Southern Indiana,” Dr. Raza said. “This is the first time this technology (MitraClip) has been offered to them. Otherwise, they would have to travel to Indianapolis or downtown Louisville and that is an inconvenience for the patient and family. These therapies take care of people with advanced heart failure, advanced valve problems. I am so excited to have our structural heart team, to be part of this. It gives our hospital another star on the chest. We are becoming a regional hospital and our folks don’t need to go to other places.”
Dr. Singh, who previously work at University of Louisville Hospital, said he is not only excited to offer MitraClip and TAVR procedures to Baptist Health Floyd, but also for his Southern Indiana patients who no longer have to travel for care.
“This hospital recognizes the importance of these procedures,” he said. “I was seeing a lot of folks who would have to travel to Louisville so to be able to offer these services to patients locally, they appreciate that.