DR. TRISTON SMITH

STEUBENVILLE — Trinity Health System, a member of CommonSpirit Health, has been designated as a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Center of Excellence.

Trinity Health System is one of three hospitals in the CommonSpirit Health system to achieve this status, signifying a commitment to delivering exceptionally high-quality, complex cardiac care, officials explained.

The TAVR Center of Excellence designation, awarded by CommonSpirit Health, underscores Trinity Health System’s dedication to optimal patient outcomes for individuals requiring TAVR procedures, a minimally invasive treatment for severe aortic stenosis. The evaluation process for this recognition involved rigorous criteria, demonstrating Trinity Health System’s superior performance across critical domains.

“Being recognized as a TAVR Center of Excellence is a powerful validation of the integrated, patient-centered approach we take to cardiac care at Trinity Health System,” said Dr. Triston Smith, medical director of cardiovascular service line and structural heart interventions for Trinity Health System. “Our multidisciplinary team works seamlessly to ensure the highest standards of safety, efficacy, and compassionate care for every patient undergoing a TAVR procedure. This designation means our community can be confident that they are receiving world-class heart care right here in Steubenville.”

To achieve this distinction, Trinity Health System met and exceeded requirements based on national benchmarks, primarily from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry for 2024. Key areas of excellence include:

• Volume and mortality: The team at Trinity Health System has extensive experience with the TAVR procedure, having performed more than 200 of them to date, with 50 procedures in the past year alone. This high volume of cases means the facility’s doctors are highly experienced. Our patient outcomes are also among the best in the nation, with patients experiencing better survival rates while in the hospital and 30 days after the procedure.

• Quality domain: Trinity consistently meets or exceeds national standards in key areas of patient care. This includes very low rates of serious complications such as stroke, kidney injury and major bleeding. A significant number of patients report a good quality of life 30 days after their procedure. Trinity sees very few issues with the new valve leaking (paravalvular leak and a low rate of patients needing a new pacemaker.

• Stewardship domain: Trinity’s focus on patient well-being extends beyond the procedure itself. In many cases, the hospital is able to use moderate sedation instead of general anesthesia, which makes for a faster and smoother recovery. As a result, a high number of patients are able to go home directly after their procedure, and very few are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days.

• Patient selection domain: Every patient at Trinity Health System is carefully evaluated by a team of specialists before a TAVR procedure is recommended. This team, which includes cardiologists, heart surgeons and imaging specialists, meets regularly to ensure the procedure is the best option for the patient. They also consider a patient’s overall health and quality of life to ensure they can achieve a successful outcome.

Officials with Trinity added the health system is dedicated to continuing its legacy of excellence in cardiac care and further enhancing its services to meet the evolving needs of the community.