Photo of the entrance to UVM Medical Center's facility on Tilley Drive in South Burlington.

Cardiology - Tilley Drive

 (802) 847-2533

62 Tilley Drive
Suite 101
South Burlington, VT 05403-4407

Monday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Heart valve disease is a condition where the valves in your heart are not opening and shutting properly. The heart valves regulate blood flow by opening to let blood through and shutting to keep blood from flowing backward. At the UVM Medical Center, our cardiologists have decades of experience diagnosing and treating heart valve disease with the most advanced technology available.

Heart Valve Disease Care at UVM Medical Center

The UVM Medical Center has some of the most experienced cardiologists in the region. Our team of doctors are trained using the most sophisticated technology available for diagnosing and treating valvular heart disease. Our doctors have decades of experience treating the different types of valvular heart disease:

  • Mitral Valve Prolapse - a common type of valvular heart disease that occurs when the mitral valve doesn't close tightly.
  • Mitral Valve Regurgitation - this occurs when the blood leaks back through the valve in the wrong direction. Mitral valve prolapse can sometimes cause regurgitation.
  • Aortic Valve Regurgitation - a problem with the aortic valve where it doesn't close properly
  • Aortic Stenosis - this type of valvular heart disease occurs when the aortic valve doesn't open enough and blocks blood flow.

When you are a patient at the UVM Medical Center, you can feel confident knowing you have placed your care in experienced and skilled hands.

Heart Valve Disease Diagnosis

The diagnosis process begins with your doctor asking you about your symptoms, your medical history and your family history. We will also perform a thorough physical exam. Your doctor will listen to your heart to see if a murmur is present, which may indicate that the blood is flowing through an obstructed or leaky valve. Your doctor may order one or more of the following tests to confirm a diagnosis:

  • Imaging Tests
  • Cardiac Catheterization - also known as a cardiac cath, this is a more invasive imaging procedure. Its goal is to get a detailed picture of how well your heart is functioning and confirm the presence of heart valve disease. During this procedure, a catheter is moved into your heart using a special X-ray machine as a guide. A contrast dye is then injected through the catheter to obtain “movies” of your valves, arteries and heart chambers.

Treatments for Heart Valve Disease

There are a number of options when it comes to treatments for heart valve disease. Your specific course of treatment depends on the type and severity of the disease. At the UVM Medical Center, we offer the following treatments:

  • Protective Measures for Heart Valve Disease - patients with heart valve disease are at a higher risk of developing a serious condition called endocarditis. We recommend the following steps in order to help protect your valve from further damage:
    • Inform your doctors & dentist that you have heart valve disease - it is important to alert your doctors and dentist that you suffer from heart valve disease. An identification card is available from the American Heart Association with this information.
    • Treat Infections - if you have the symptoms of an infection, call your doctor
    • Maintain oral hygiene - avoid infections in your teeth and gums. Make regular appointments with your dentist.
    • Take antibiotics before procedures - talk to your doctors if you need to undergo any procedure that may cause bleeding
  • Medications
    • Diuretics - to help remove any extra fluid from your body
    • Antiarrhythmics - drugs used to control abnormal heart rhythms
    • Vasodilators - used to encourage blood flow forward rather than backward
    • ACE Inhibitors - a type of vasodilator that treats high blood pressure and heart failure
    • Beta Blockers - used to reduce the stress on the heart by helping it beat slower
    • Anticoagulants - also known as blood thinners, these are used to reduce the risk of developing blood clots on your heart valves
  • Surgery - depending on the exact diagnosis, we may recommend heart valve repair or replacement. We perform the following minimally invasive heart surgery to treat heart valve disease:

The UVM Medical Center is one of a select group of hospitals that participate in clinical trials to evaluate revolutionary treatments. There is a clinical trial in progress used to treat severe aortic stenosis. Read more about this new surgery treatment called Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), also known as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI).

Please note: Some of the doctors and specialists listed below may not treat this specific condition.

Aderonke O. Adeniyi, MD
Cardiovascular Disease
Jessica B. Badlam, MD
Critical Care Medicine
Pulmonary Disease
Kevin T. Carey, MD
Interventional Cardiology
Cardiovascular Disease
Daniel D. Correa de Sa, MD
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
Cardiovascular Disease
Harold L. Dauerman, MD
Interventional Cardiology
Cardiovascular Disease
      	        
	  	  Catherine  Falduto, NP
Catherine Falduto, NP
Cardiovascular Disease
William E. Hopkins, MD
Cardiovascular Disease
      	        
	  	  Adam W. Kunin, MD
Adam W. Kunin, MD
Cardiovascular Disease
Rony N. Lahoud, MD
Interventional Cardiology
Cardiovascular Disease
Ann S. Laramee, NP
Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Cardiovascular Disease
Daniel L. Lustgarten, MD, PhD
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
Cardiovascular Disease
Deborah A. Moyer, NP
Cardiovascular Disease
Richard L. Page, MD
Cardiovascular Disease
David J. Schneider, MD
Cardiovascular Disease
Peter S. Spector, MD
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
Nancy L. Strong, NP
Cardiovascular Disease
      	        
	  	  Nathaniel C. Thompson, MD
Nathaniel C. Thompson, MD
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
Cardiovascular Disease
Peter C. Van Buren, MD
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology
Cardiovascular Disease
Matthew W. Watkins, MD
Cardiovascular Disease
Joseph F. Winget, MD
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
Cardiovascular Disease