For the first time in Delaware, patients with tricuspid valve disease have access to two new FDA-approved, minimally invasive procedures that can repair or replace a failing heart valve without the need for open-heart surgery.
The tricuspid valve helps keep blood moving in the right direction through the heart. When it doesn’t close properly — a condition known as tricuspid valve regurgitation — blood leaks backward, forcing the heart to work harder. Over time, patients can experience fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling in the legs and ankles.
ChristianaCare’s Center for Heart & Vascular Health is among the first in the nation and the first in the state to offer these advanced procedures, which can restore valve function and improve quality of life.
“ChristianaCare continues to innovate in the area of non-surgical valve procedures,” said Kirk Garratt, M.D., MSc, medical director of the Center for Heart & Vascular Health. “We now offer every FDA-approved therapy for tricuspid valve disease, which means we can tailor treatment to each patient and choose the option that best fits their condition.”
New Procedures Offer Hope for Patients
ChristianaCare offers these minimally invasive procedures to treat tricuspid valve regurgitation:
- TriClip, which repairs a leaky tricuspid valve. A staple-like clip is attached to the flaps of the valve that don’t close properly, which stops the valve from leaking.
- EVOQUE, which replaces a faulty tricuspid valve. When the new valve is placed, it uses the patient’s own tricuspid valve as an anchoring system. The new valve takes over for the leaky valve, correcting the problem.
“Most of our patients with tricuspid valve disease are older adults, and they really do not desire to travel to Philadelphia for treatment,” said Erin Fender, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at the Center for Heart & Vascular Health. ChristianaCare’s tricuspid valve disease program enables patients to stay in Delaware for treatment and receive this leading-edge care.
Fender and interventional cardiologist James Hopkins, M.D., performed ChristianaCare’s first TriClip procedure in August. In September, they performed ChristianaCare’s first EVOQUE procedure.
Minimally Invasive, Maximum Impact
During both procedures, an IV catheter is inserted into a vein at the top of the leg. A hollow tube is threaded through the IV and into the heart, allowing the clip or replacement valve to access the tricuspid valve. The entire procedure is guided by echocardiogram and generally takes one to two hours.
“Patients are usually up and walking later that evening or the next morning, depending on what time of day the procedure was done,” Fender said. “They’re typically discharged the following day.”
In the past, open-heart surgery was the only treatment for tricuspid valve disease, but patients with severe symptoms usually weren’t good surgical candidates.
“When I was a fellow, I did research focused on tricuspid regurgitation at a time when patients really had no therapeutic options,” Fender said. “Now, being able to offer people therapy that’s so safe and effective, with minimal downtime afterwards, is absolutely transformative to our patients. It’s delightful to see the evolution.”
Expanding the Toolbox of Innovation
The TriClip and EVOQUE are two of the most recent minimally invasive procedures performed at the Center for Heart & Vascular Health.
Other recent innovative, minimally invasive heart and vascular procedures include:
- Pulsed field ablation for atrial fibrillation. A-fib arises when abnormal heart tissue mistakenly prompts electrical impulses, causing heart palpitations, chest pain and shortness of breath. Pulsed field ablation safely destroys the abnormal tissue quicker and more consistently than other treatments, such as freezing (cryoablation) or heating (radiofrequency ablation).
- Genicular artery embolization for mild to moderate knee pain. Osteoarthritis can cause inflammation and pain within the knee, which can limit a patient’s mobility. Genicular artery embolization pinpoints areas of inflammation within the knee, and tiny bead-like particles are placed within the blood vessels to block blood flow to those areas. The procedure reduces pain and improves mobility.
National Recognition for Excellence
ChristianaCare’s Center for Heart & Vascular Health continues to earn national recognition as one of the nation’s premier destinations for cardiovascular care. Most recently, the Center received the HeartCare National Distinction of Excellence award from the American College of Cardiology for the 6th consecutive year. This award honors hospitals that consistently deliver superior medical, surgical and radiologic care aligned with the most rigorous standards of the American College of Cardiology. The award reflects ChristianaCare’s commitment to ensuring patients receive the best, evidence-based care for every cardiovascular need.
That excellence is further affirmed by U.S. News & World Report, which named ChristianaCare a High Performing hospital in its 2025—2026 Best Hospitals rankings for aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery and heart failure.
The Center for Heart & Vascular Health is among the largest and most advanced programs on the East Coast, uniquely integrating cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, vascular interventional radiology, cardiology and interventional nephrology in one location. In 2024, its expert clinical teams performed nearly 200,000 patient procedures, underscoring the depth of experience and patient-centered care that set ChristianaCare apart.
