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We brought structural heart care to this region. For this region.

Structural Heart Program

Name: Kootenai Health
Price range: $

We brought structural heart care to this region. For this region.

Structural Heart Program

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Valve repair. Stroke risk reduction. North Idaho’s first—and most established—structural heart program.

Not every heart problem is a blockage. Sometimes, the issue lies within the heart’s actual structure. It could be a damaged valve, a congenital opening between chambers, or an area where blood can pool and raise stroke risk during atrial fibrillation. Conditions like these are more common than most people realize, and for a long time, treating them meant open-heart surgery.

That's changed. Our structural heart team uses minimally invasive, catheter-based techniques—meaning your doctor can repair a valve or close a defect through a small access point in the leg, without ever opening the chest. Procedures like Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), Mitral Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER), and the LAAO device, may not be household names, but they represent a meaningful shift in what's possible: more options beyond medication, and a recovery that gets you back to your life faster than traditional surgery.

1,000+ LAAO procedures

Experience treating stroke risk from AFib

As the region's first to perform the Watchman, we've helped patients reduce stroke risk and move past lifelong blood thinners.

Accredited cardiac imaging

Echo, vascular, and nuclear imaging

Detailed imaging helps our team understand the anatomy of your heart, so procedures can be planned and performed with better accuracy.

Structural heart procedures

TAVR, TEER, & LAAO

Access structural heart treatments typically found in major cardiac centers right here in North Idaho.

The first to offer LAAO in North Idaho

Over a Thousand Lives Impacted

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Advanced Heart Technology and Expertise

Conditions

Structural heart procedures treat problems affecting the heart’s valves, chambers, and internal structures. These conditions may affect how blood flows through the heart or increase the risk of stroke.

Common conditions evaluated by our structural heart specialists include:

Valvular heart disease
- Aortic valve stenosis (often treated with TAVR)
- Mitral valve regurgitation (often treated with TEER)
Structural heart disease / cardiomyopathies
Atrial fibrillation with stroke risk (treated with LAAO)
Congenital heart defects
- Patent foramen ovale (PFO)
- Atrial septal defect (ASD)

Heart failure related to valve disease

Diagnostics & Monitoring

Structural heart procedures rely on detailed imaging to understand the heart’s anatomy and guide treatment planning. Our cardiovascular imaging services help specialists evaluate heart structure, blood flow, and disease progression.

Diagnostic services include:

Cardiac Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) — Often used for TAVR planning and structural anatomy evaluation.
Cardiac MRI — Used for detailed structural and functional heart assessment.
Echocardiography — Primary imaging for valve disease and structural abnormalities.

Nuclear cardiac imaging — Sometimes used to evaluate heart function or ischemia before procedures.

Structural Heart Procedures

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) (Link to: https://www.kh.org/heart-services/tavr/) — Replaces a narrowed aortic valve using a catheter rather than open-heart surgery.

Mitral Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) — Improves mitral valve function by helping the valve close more effectively.

Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion (LAAO) (Link to: https://www.kh.org/heart-services/laao/) — Seals the left atrial appendage to prevent blood clots from forming in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Congenital defect closure (PFO and ASD) — Catheter-based procedures close small openings between heart chambers that may increase stroke risk.

Programs To Support Your Heart Health

Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Our program offers long-term heart & vascular support through rehabilitation, monitoring and preventative care to increase physical fitness, reduce cardiac symptoms, improve health and reduce risk of future heart problems.

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Cardiac Risk Reduction Clinic

New medications are changing how doctors reduce cardiac risk. Our clinic combines cardiology expertise and pharmacy support to help patients access therapies like GLP-1 treatment.

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Stroke Care

Designated as a Level II Stroke Center by Idaho’s Time Sensitive Emergency System, our team provides rapid stroke diagnosis and treatment through coordinated teams and established emergency protocols.

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Gerald Lakin

Symptoms

Afib

Stroke

Outcome

After receiving a Watchman device, Gerald was able to reduce his risk of stroke without relying on lifelong blood thinners.

Treatment

Gerald became the first patient at Kootenai Health to receive the Watchman device, a minimally invasive implant that seals off the left atrial appendage—where most stroke-causing blood clots form in patients with AFib. Implanted through a catheter-based procedure, the device creates a permanent barrier that helps prevent clots from leaving the heart. Since that first case, Kootenai Heart Clinics has performed more than 1,000 Watchman procedures, offering proven expertise and advanced stroke-prevention care close to home.

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“I’m looking forward to moving off of my blood thinners and still reducing my risk of having another stroke in the future.”

— Gerald Lakin

Get to Know Your Structural Heart Team

Structural heart procedures require more than one expert. Your care is led by a coordinated team—interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, imaging specialists, anesthesiologists, and cardiac nurses — who review your case together to determine the safest, most effective path forward.

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