VCS Blog
Another Richmond First: VCS Implants Next-Generation Heart Valve Using Abbott Navitor™ Vision Valve
When Dr. Matthew J. Chung, MD, FACC, a board-certified structural interventional cardiologist with Virginia Cardiovascular Specialists (VCS) and Director of the Structural Heart Program for Bon Secours Mercy Health Richmond Market, met patient Eleanor, progressive fatigue was impacting her daily activities. At 90 years old, her severe aortic stenosis had begun to demand she slow down.
“Due to Eleanor’s advanced age and bulky aortic annular calcification, we needed a minimally invasive valve replacement solution that would seal well despite her bulky calcification and lower the risk of complications with her fragile tissue. Abbott’s Navitor™ Vision valve was a perfect fit,” Dr. Chung said.
Eleanor’s procedure in mid-July was the first implantation of the Abbott Navitor™ Vision next-generation heart valve in Richmond, Virginia.
Eleanor’s Story: Treating Aortic Stenosis
“It was after an echocardiogram at VCS was performed that I found out I needed to see a valve specialist, and I was introduced to Dr. Chung,” Eleanor said.
Eleanor was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, a condition in which the main valve that regulates blood flow out of the heart doesn’t open well, thus limiting the delivery of oxygen-rich blood to the body. Fatigue was a big symptom for Eleanor.
The Navitor™ Vision valve, an intra-annular self-expanding valve designed with a novel dynamic sealing cuff that reduces the risk of paravalvular leak, is the newest type of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) platform that has been commercially approved and is now available at VCS.
After reviewing the available TAVR platforms, Dr. Chung knew that the Navitor™ Vision valve would be the best option to meet Eleanor’s needs.
Aortic Stenosis and Treatment Options
Aortic stenosis occurs when the aortic valve’s opening narrows, restricting blood flow to the body. Left untreated, it can lead to heart failure and death. For patients with severe aortic stenosis who may have difficulty recovering from open-heart surgery, physicians may opt for a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure using TAVR technologies such as the Navitor™ Vision valve.
Dr. Chung is a structural heart disease specialist with a particular interest in complex coronary interventions. He is a regional leader in providing exceptional care for patients using minimally invasive catheter-based technologies to treat valvular and structural heart disease.
He said the Navitor™ Vision valve marries key benefits of the two existing commercially approved TAVR platforms, creating a third option for challenging anatomies, like Eleanor’s, that are not as well treated by those platforms.
“It’s an exciting time for the treatment of structural heart disease. The Navitor™ Vision valve is another fantastic therapy in our toolbox that allows us to personalize the care of each patient so that we can achieve the best outcomes while minimizing the risk of complications,” Dr. Chung said. “Rather than using only one valve for all patients, we choose the valve that is best suited for each individual. We don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole.”
“I knew I was in good hands with Dr. Chung,” Eleanor said.
The Navitor™ Vision TAVR Procedure
The first TAVR was performed in 2002; prior to that innovation, all aortic valve replacements required highly invasive open-heart surgery. Hospital stays could last a week or more, and recovery could take months. Some patients, due to their advanced age or frailty, were not candidates for surgery at all.
Eleanor stayed one night in Richmond’s St. Mary’s Hospital after her Navitor™ Vision TAVR procedure and was back to her regular exercise routine within a few days.
“I’m feeling fine and confident, like I’m not doing anything different than I was before. I just feel good about everything,” Eleanor said.
“Bringing a new device to a hospital is a big undertaking, and I’m proud of the team at St. Mary’s Hospital that worked together to bring this innovation to the greater Richmond area,” Dr. Chung said.
Dr. Chung praised the administration at St. Mary’s Hospital for supporting the new technology, and the cardiac catheterization lab and operating room teams and his cardiothoracic surgery colleagues for coming together to perform a successful procedure. Prior to Eleanor’s procedure, the entire staff worked together for both didactic and hands-on training on this new TAVR platform.
Eleanor agreed.
“The professional team was wonderful!” she said. Adding, “Everybody was just so attentive and made me feel very comfortable through the whole process of the surgery and being in the hospital. I felt very comfortable about all of it.”
The VCS Difference
Adding the Navitor™ Vision TAVR platform to the VCS portfolio of treatment options underscores not only the practice’s commitment to individualized, personalized care, but it also continues the tradition of VCS as pioneers in treating structural heart disease and improving cardiovascular care in the greater Central Virginia region. Being the first to implant the Navitor™ Vision valve in Richmond adds to a long legacy of firsts in Virginia for this independent cardiology group:
- First Cardiac Nuclear Imaging (MPI) (1997)
- First Cardiac CT (2007)
- First Urgent Heart Care Services (2009)
- First Cardiac PET CT (2017)
- First dedicated Cardiovascular Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) (2023)
- First freestanding Cardiac Cath Lab (2024)
“I’m proud that VCS now offers all three commercially available TAVR platforms. It is the only program in the greater Richmond area to do so,” Dr. Chung said.
Eleanor was especially reassured by Dr. Chung’s dedication to patient education.
“He spent an hour explaining the procedure to me, and said that I would be a good candidate. That time he took with me was so meaningful,” she said.
What’s Ahead for Structural Heart Disease Treatment
Adopting innovative procedures with the latest minimally invasive technologies is a hallmark of VCS’s service to the region. Dr. Chung is also excited about developments in a growing new field called transcatheter electrosurgery.
In transcatheter electrosurgery, electrified wires are used to cut tissue without the need for open-heart surgery. In this novel minimally invasive technique, wires are delivered to the treatment site via catheters.
Dr. Chung has already performed several transcatheter electrosurgery procedures, such as the BASILICA and LAMPOON procedures, at St. Mary’s Hospital.
“We are hoping to expand that skill set to offer these procedures to more of our patients, because everything in interventional cardiology, and specifically within structural heart disease, is trying to figure out how we can perform surgery through less invasive catheter-based techniques so that our patients can recover more quickly,” Dr. Chung said.
Eleanor Is Back at It
Post-TAVR, Eleanor’s vital signs have remained stable as she enthusiastically participates in cardiac rehab twice a week.
TAVR technology has, for years, already aided doctors like Dr. Chung in effectively treating people who may not have been ideal candidates for open-heart surgery. Nonagenarians, like Eleanor, and even patients who have celebrated their 100th birthday, who likely would have struggled with an open-heart procedure, are now able to undergo life-saving treatment of their aortic stenosis with TAVR and return to their usual lifestyle much faster.
“It’s an amazing technology that has truly revolutionized how we care for patients with aortic stenosis,” Dr. Chung said. “VCS has a long-standing history of pioneering the field of structural heart disease in Richmond. As the first group to perform TAVR in the greater Richmond area in 2012, our cardiologists remain committed to providing the latest technologies to our patients. I am excited to bring the Abbott Navitor™ Vision transcatheter heart valve to Richmond and look forward to the benefits that it will provide for our patients.”
For Eleanor, she is already seeing those benefits in real, vivid living color.
“I’ve had no discomfort and I’ve slept well,” she said. “I am back to my daily routine.”
Published September 8, 2025