St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Awarded for Demonstrated Excellence in Heart Valve Repair for Seventh Consecutive Year

 

Recognition as a Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center from the Mitral Foundation underscores commitment to best practices and exceptional outcomes in degenerative mitral valve surgery

 

SYRACUSE, N.Y.— Mitral valve repair is one of the most complex and technically demanding procedures in cardiac surgery. When performed by experienced teams, however, outcomes for patients with degenerative mitral valve disease can be exceptional—offering improved survival, preserved heart function, and fewer long-term complications.

 

For the seventh year in a row, St. Joseph’s Health Hospital has been recognized by the Mitral Foundation as a Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center, a distinction awarded to hospitals that demonstrate sustained excellence, adherence to evidence-based guidelines, and superior patient outcomes in mitral valve repair surgery.

 

“This recognition for the seventh consecutive year is a testament to the extraordinary skill, dedication, and hard work of our entire cardiac surgery team,” said Karikehalli Dilip, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Joseph’s Health Hospital. “Mitral valve repair demands precision, experience, and teamwork. We are proud to consistently deliver the highest level of care to our patients, year after year.”

 

The Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award identifies U.S. medical centers that meet rigorous criteria for repair rates, operative mortality, and long-term durability, while also demonstrating an ongoing commitment to tracking, reporting, and improving quality outcomes.

 

“Our ability to achieve this distinction year after year reflects a culture of excellence and continuous improvement,” said Charles Lutz, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Joseph’s Health Hospital. “From pre-operative evaluation to surgical execution and post-operative care, our multidisciplinary team is focused on doing what is best for each patient, every time.”

 

The recommended treatment for degenerative mitral valve disease is mitral valve repair rather than valve replacement, whenever feasible. Repair preserves the patient’s native valve, avoids the need for lifelong blood thinners or prosthetic valves, and is associated with improved survival and fewer long-term complications. Despite this, many patients nationwide still undergo valve replacement when repair could be an option.

 

“At St. Joseph’s Health, we are deeply committed to ensuring patients receive guideline-directed, state-of-the-art care,” said Zhandong Zhou, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon. “This award reassures patients and referring physicians that complex mitral valve disease can be treated here with confidence, expertise, and outstanding outcomes.”

 

The Mitral Foundation developed the Reference Center Award to promote transparency, quality measurement, and best practices in mitral valve surgery nationwide.

 

“Award recipients like St. Joseph’s Health Hospital must meet rigorous outcomes criteria for repair rates, mortality and durability,” says David H. Adams, MD, Professor and Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System and President of the Mitral Foundation. “Patients receiving care at a Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award-winning facility can have confidence in their guideline-directed care.”

 

“We are pleased to recognize St. Joseph’s Health Hospital for its commitment to patients with degenerative mitral valve disease,” said Robert O. Bonow, MD, professor of cardiology at Northwestern University and past president of the American Heart Association. “Choosing the right hospital for heart surgery is one of the most important health care decisions made by patients and their referring physicians. The Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center award identifies hospitals with excellent processes and outcomes and gives patients and cardiologists the information necessary to make these important decisions.”

 

St. Joseph’s Health Hospital has earned the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award every year since the program launched in November 2019.