Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Sarasota is one of the select hospitals across the nation to receive the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award. Created in partnership by the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation, the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award recognizes surgical excellence in the field of mitral valve repair, while also acting as a beacon for patients and residents searching for the best and most experienced hospitals and surgeons in their communities.

Despite numerous studies showing that mitral valve repair is often preferable to mitral valve replacement to treat degenerative mitral valve disease, many patients continue to undergo replacement surgery, which can lead to higher rates of complications and death, according to the Mitral Foundation. To combat this trend, the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award highlights those hospitals and medical centers that have, through measured objective outcomes, demonstrated excellence in mitral valve repair, so that those in need of this specific form of heart surgery can know where to go and other physicians know where to refer their patients.

“It’s important not only that more patients and their families know that mitral valve repair is an option, but also that they have the resources to find the hospital and the surgical team best prepared to give them the outcome they need,” says Jonathan Hoffberger, DO, the hospital's Director of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery. “At Sarasota Memorial, we do a lot of valve repair and replacement, and the outcomes of our program can compete with—and in many cases exceed—centers with far greater outreach and national reputation.”

To earn this designation, a hospital must “have a demonstrated record of superior clinical outcomes” based on objective performance measures, according to the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation. In terms of facilities and staffing, recognized Mitral Valve Repair Reference Centers must employ both experienced cardiothoracic surgeons and structural heart cardiologists, as well as all required support staffing. 

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has six cardiac surgeons and cardiologists across who specialize in treating structural heart conditions and who performed more than 1,000 procedures last year, as well as a structural heart/valve clinic to help diagnose and manage patients with valve disease and structural heart disorders.