YNHH HVC receives the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award for 2020 and 2021

New Haven, CT (September 28, 2021) - The Heart and Vascular Center at Yale New Haven Hospital has received the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award for 2020 and 2021 from the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation for excellence in mitral valve repair surgery.

The recommended treatment for degenerative mitral valve disease is mitral valve reconstruction, as opposed to valve replacement with a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve, because valve repair is associated with improved survival and fewer long-term complications. Unfortunately, too many patients who would benefit from repair receive replacement valves, with higher rates of death or complications within five years after surgery.

“This national award by the American Heart Association is testimony to the growth of our program and the commitment of the entire team within the Heart and Vascular Center at Yale New Haven Hospital,” said Arnar Geirsson, MD, chief of cardiac surgery, Yale School of Medicine (YSM)/ YNHH Heart and Vascular Center; and associate professor, Cardiac Surgery, YSM. “The Heart and Vascular Center at Yale New Haven Hospital is proud to lead the way by providing the most advanced treatment options for our patients and their families which translates to outstanding outcomes.”

The recognition award program:

-recognizes those Mitral Valve Repair Reference Centers who have a demonstrated record of superior clinical outcomes, as well as an ongoing commitment to reporting and measuring quality and outcome metrics specific to mitral valve repairs.

-promotes the availability of recognized centers that have received this award to help improve access to quality care for patients across the United States.

The Mitral Foundation and the American Heart Association® have created a recognition program to identify, award, and promote the nation’s best medical centers for mitral valve repair surgery. Patients and physicians need a way to differentiate hospitals and surgeons who have mastered complex mitral valve reconstruction and have consistently delivered high quality outcomes. Numerous large-scale clinical outcomes studies show a strong correlation between the number of cases performed by experienced mitral valve surgeons and the resultant clinical.

The Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award recognizes those centers that have a demonstrated record of superior clinical outcomes, as well as an ongoing commitment to reporting and measuring quality and outcome metrics specific to mitral valve repairs. It also promotes the availability of such Mitral Valve Repair Reference Centers, to improve geographic access for patients across the United States.

The Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award was born from a critical need for transparency and clarity, and The Mitral Foundation and the American Heart Association® created this Award to identify and recognize the nation’s best hospitals and surgeons for mitral valve repair surgery based on objective performance measures.

Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), part of Yale New Haven Health, is a nationally recognized, 1,541-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving as the primary teaching hospital for the Yale School of Medicine (YSM). Founded as the fourth voluntary hospital in the U.S. in 1826, today, YNHH has two New Haven-based campuses, and also includes Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital and Smilow Cancer Hospital. YNHH has received Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor of nursing excellence. YNHH has a combined medical staff of about 4,500 university and community physicians practicing in more than 100 specialties. www.ynhh.org