https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/home daily 1.0 2026-07-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/783fc512-7b9f-4ac7-9c50-cd24f567fc56/Blueprint+Cut.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/8f9f39bc-fb16-47fd-bc70-58663a46fd2e/Blueprint+Cut+%281%29.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/70e93a8c-a0f8-4091-bbbf-14372d4c415d/Blueprint+Cut+%282%29.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/0819664a-78d2-478a-bc90-b779ef8bc99a/Blueprint+Cut.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/7699369a-34b8-4bf9-9c6e-07fe9cdf4b4e/valvedegen.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/4ff28cb2-b1f6-45dc-9bef-fd78221dd6bd/MPHB_DrNickAroney_Cardiology.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/e6fa1597-2e7c-41ed-b20f-0d3e5cc6f4fc/ST1.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/48613d9a-a661-4b53-8293-d4ba9d3d65e2/Doctor+Forward.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/d2df3b80-5fba-484b-b195-40049fcdbc9f/d492294d-09d9-4e7d-97df-a3b0ce462c74.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/bf996cde-76a8-4489-9b81-13f037242385/b817992c-34f9-493f-ad29-64bb797564e5.png https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/aortic-stenosis daily 0.75 2026-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/1784630203831-MM6VIVT0ZJ2GXS9MQF12/unsplash-image-ZL-xUYvkaKM.jpg https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/mitral-regurgitation daily 0.75 2026-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/1784630511843-DK1IO1XN1VM1S7WPYIU9/unsplash-image-nbU4xF3YUbw.jpg https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/pfo-stroke daily 0.75 2026-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/1784630836827-WGROMZJXPGMYA0J1HUQS/unsplash-image-7Z2Xf8Bb7iM.jpg https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/dr-nicholas-aroney-1 daily 0.75 2026-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/2b9deae8-51fe-4e64-b710-1ac23e599df6/MPHB_DrNickAroney_Cardiology%2BLarge.webp Dr Nicholas Aroney https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/tavi daily 0.75 2026-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/83b483fd-f1d1-4afc-8b8b-9a3da6519a8c/2.jpg TAVI - Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) TAVI treats severe aortic stenosis without open-heart surgery. A bioprosthetic valve is delivered by catheter — usually through an artery in the leg — and takes over from the diseased valve. How it works Sedation: Most patients are treated with a light sedation, “twilight” Access: Usually via the femoral artery in the groin; alternative access routes are used if needed. Delivery and deployment: A catheter guides the valve into place under imaging guidance, where it is expanded inside the diseased valve — restoring blood flow immediately. Benefits Less invasive than open-heart surgery: shorter anaesthesia time, smaller or no chest incision. Shorter hospital stay and faster recovery for many patients. Effective symptom relief and improved quality of life. Suitable for patients who are poor surgical candidates due to age or comorbidities. Risks and complications Bleeding or bruising at the groin access site Injury to the artery used for access Disturbance to the heart’s electrical conduction, which may require a permanent pacemaker Stroke Death Every cardiac procedure carries risk. Your individual risk depends on your age, heart function, valve and vessel anatomy, and other medical conditions, and is assessed and discussed with you in detail before any decision is made. After the procedure Patients recover quickly, and are back on their feet within a few hours of the procedure. Most patients stay in hospital for 1–2 days after an uncomplicated procedure, with monitoring of the access site and heart rhythm. Follow-up includes clinical review and echocardiography at discharge, 1 month and 12 months. Driving is restricted for 30 days post TAVI GP role Refer patients with symptoms of aortic stenosis (breathlessness, angina, syncope) or a murmur for echocardiography Help optimise comorbidities before the procedure, and coordinate medication changes (e.g. antiplatelet/anticoagulant therapy) with the cardiology team peri-procedure. Support post-procedure monitoring and timely follow-up, and stay alert to late complications such as arrhythmia or valve degeneration, which require lifelong surveillance. https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/privacy-policy daily 0.75 2026-07-26 https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/terms-of-service daily 0.75 2026-07-26 https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/dr-stephen-tomlinson-1 daily 0.75 2026-09-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/d8e7cc72-5e48-4f1b-aa14-4e7ed35172a7/ST.jpg Dr Stephen Tomlinson https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/for-doctors daily 0.75 2026-09-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/d2df3b80-5fba-484b-b195-40049fcdbc9f/d492294d-09d9-4e7d-97df-a3b0ce462c74.png https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/teer daily 0.75 2026-09-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/2d2fa5de-cb34-4538-9ca5-53f8b27b82b6/84baef24-1f7f-422c-9aa7-408783f21d69.jpg TEER - Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) / MitraClip Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair treats a leaking mitral valve without open-heart surgery. A small clip is delivered by catheter through a vein in the leg and attached to the mitral valve leaflets, drawing them together so the valve closes more completely. How it works Access: through the femoral vein in the groin, then across the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart. Anaesthetic: performed under general anaesthesia. Guidance: the clip is positioned using transoesophageal echocardiography and X-ray. Adjustment: the clip is repositioned until leaflet grasp and reduction in the leak are satisfactory. More than one clip may be used. Who it suits Primary (degenerative) mitral regurgitation: the valve itself is damaged, usually a prolapsing or flail leaflet. Surgical repair remains the preferred treatment for most patients; TEER is an alternative for those at high surgical risk with suitable anatomy. Secondary (functional) mitral regurgitation: the leaflets are normal but the ventricle or atrium has enlarged. TEER is considered for selected patients who remain symptomatic despite optimised heart failure therapy. Assessment always includes transoesophageal echocardiography to characterise the valve, and a Heart Team discussion weighing surgical risk, anatomy and the likely durability of benefit. Medical therapy should be optimised first. For secondary mitral regurgitation this means guideline-directed heart failure therapy, and cardiac resynchronisation therapy where indicated, with severity graded on echocardiography when the patient is euvolaemic and normotensive. Risks and complications Bleeding or bruising at the groin access site Injury to the vein used for access Residual or recurrent mitral regurgitation Damage to the mitral valve leaflets, or narrowing of the valve Clip detachment Stroke Death Every cardiac procedure carries risk. Your individual risk depends on your age, heart function, valve and vessel anatomy, and other medical conditions, and is assessed and discussed with you in detail before any decision is made. After the procedure Most patients stay in hospital for 1–2 days after an uncomplicated procedure. Antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy is tailored to your circumstances. Follow-up includes clinical review and echocardiography before discharge and at intervals afterwards. Heart failure medications are reviewed and continued. GP role Refer patients with moderate-to-severe or severe mitral regurgitation, particularly with breathlessness, reduced exercise tolerance or heart failure. Optimise guideline-directed medical therapy before and after the procedure. Monitor fluid status, renal function and rhythm. Arrange surveillance echocardiography as advised. https://www.heartvalveclinic.com.au/pfo-closure daily 0.75 2026-09-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b3f9b57218110447a8a735/ea763cd8-2851-48e8-9284-4be46db1a884/d540eda5-c6a4-4021-bee2-032a09e9fe55.jpg PFO Closure - PFO Closure A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a small flap-like opening between the two upper chambers of the heart, present in around a quarter of adults. It usually causes no problems. In selected younger patients who have had a stroke with no other explanation, it can allow a clot to pass from the veins to the brain — and closing it reduces the risk of a further stroke. How it works Access: through the femoral vein in the groin. Anaesthetic: sedation or general anaesthesia. Delivery: a double-disc device is advanced across the PFO and opened on either side of the septum, sealing the opening. Heart tissue grows over the device in the months afterwards. Duration: the procedure usually takes under an hour. Who it suits Age 18 to 60 — the range in which the evidence is strongest. An ischaemic stroke confirmed on brain imaging, with no other cause found after full investigation and prolonged rhythm monitoring excluding atrial fibrillation. A large right-to-left shunt, or an atrial septal aneurysm, on echocardiography with a bubble study. No competing cause such as significant carotid disease, small vessel disease or a thrombophilia. Current evidence does not support closure where the PFO is unlikely to have caused the stroke, or outside the age range studied. Risks and complications Bleeding or bruising at the groin access site Atrial fibrillation, most often in the weeks following the procedure Device malposition, or a residual shunt Clot forming on the device Injury to the heart or surrounding structures Stroke Death Every cardiac procedure carries risk. Your individual risk is assessed and discussed with you in detail before any decision is made. After the procedure Most patients go home the same day or the following day. Antiplatelet therapy — aspirin, sometimes with clopidogrel for a period — is usually recommended. Long-term anticoagulation is not routine unless required for another reason. Echocardiography confirms device position and closure at follow-up. Endocarditis prophylaxis is advised for a period after implantation, and strenuous activity is limited briefly. GP role Refer patients under 60 who have had an ischaemic stroke or TIA with no cause identified. Ensure prolonged rhythm monitoring has been completed — undetected atrial fibrillation changes management entirely. Continue antiplatelet therapy as advised and review at follow-up. Ask patients to report palpitations after the procedure promptly.