NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center Earns Recognition as a Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center from the Mitral Foundation for Third Consecutive Year

For the third consecutive year, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center has been recognized with the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award by the Mitral Foundation for demonstrated excellence in heart valve repair. NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center is one of 23 centers across the U.S. to receive this award. 

This award recognizes NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center’s contribution to advancing best practices in the surgical treatment of mitral valve disease, a common valvular problem which occurs when irregularities develop in the heart valve between the left heart chambers. Mitral valve repair is one of the most challenging heart operations, according to the Mitral Foundation, but the results for patients with degenerative mitral valve disease can be very positive, with improved survival and few long-term complications.

The award identifies, recognizes, and promotes the nation’s recognized medical centers that demonstrate adherence to evidence-based treatment guidelines as well as an ongoing commitment to reporting and measuring quality and outcome metrics specific to mitral valve repairs.

“We are proud to have received this prestigious award for the third year in a row,” said Dr. Stephanie L. Mick, director of robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the Carrie and David Landew Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine. “This recognition highlights our team’s unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality care and, for patients with mitral valve disease, this stamp of approval provides additional confidence in the excellence of our treatment.”

The recommended treatment for degenerative mitral valve disease is mitral valve reconstruction, as opposed to valve replacement since valve repair is associated with improved survival and fewer long-term complications. Many patients who would benefit from a valve repair receive a replacement valve instead, which has a higher rate of death or complications within five years after surgery.

More information about the Mitral Foundation Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award is available on www.mitralfoundation.org.

This story first appeared on NewYork-Presbyterian's newsroom.