It Takes a Team: Spotlight on Sacramento Hospital’s Heart Valve Care
Oct 22, 2026
Shawn Kramer
Group shot of doctors and nurses wearing teal scrubs

Pictured above, from left: Gabrielle Wood, RN; Darrel Hedge, radiology technologist; Corissa Pederson, CVT; Kristen Lemen, RN, assistant clinical manager; Dr. Pei-Hsiu Huang; Dr. David Roberts; Dr. Robert Haughton; Tom Forrester, radiology technologist; Scott Harris, RN; and Pillo Soto, RN, assistant clinical manager, after completing SMCS’ first transcatheter mitral valve replacement using the SAPIEN M3 system.

Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento has earned its sixth three-star rating since 2019 for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), the highest designation awarded through the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American College of Cardiology’s Transcatheter Valve Therapy (TVT) Registry, which tracks the safety and outcomes of transcatheter heart valve procedures nationwide.

One of just 23 TAVR programs nationwide and only three in California to earn the distinction, SMCS was recognized for strong patient outcomes and care before, during and after the procedure.

“Heart care is a team sport,” said Dr. David Roberts III, interventional cardiologist affiliated with Sutter Medical Group. “We have an extraordinary group of physicians, APCs, nurses, technicians, clinical effectiveness consultants and Valve and Structural Heart Clinic staff working together to continually improve and deliver the best possible care for our patients.”

TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the heart’s main valve that restricts blood flow to the body. As the condition progresses, everyday activities like walking from room to room can become difficult. The procedure can help restore blood flow and improve quality of life without open-heart surgery. In 2025, SMCS performed more than 300 TAVR procedures and is projected to perform about 400 this year.

SMCS is the only Sutter hospital to offer transcatheter replacement of all four heart valves: aortic, mitral, tricuspid and pulmonary. This breadth of treatment options reflects decades of innovation in structural heart care and gives patients access to minimally invasive options for conditions that once had limited treatment alternatives.

Leadership Across Heart and Vascular Services

The TAVR designation is the latest recognition for SMCS, which continues to earn national and regional recognition for its heart and vascular services.

Recent achievements include:

“This recognition reflects the exceptional work happening at SMCS and Sutter’s ongoing commitment to advancing cardiovascular care across Northern California,” said Dr. Michael Pham, chair of Sutter Health’s Advanced Heart & Vascular Service Line. “We continue to invest in the people, programs and technology that expand access to innovative heart and vascular treatments close to home.”

Across Sutter, more than 488,000 patients received heart and vascular care in 2025, supported by 21 hospitals, six cardiac surgery programs and more than 60 outpatient care centers. Since 1984, Sutter has performed more than 800 heart transplants and continues to expand access to cardiovascular services across Northern California.

Beyond TAVR, Sutter is advancing treatment options for patients with disease affecting the heart’s other valves, including the mitral valve. Physician researchers helped lead the international ENCIRCLE clinical trial, which contributed to the first FDA-approved transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) therapy for patients with severe mitral regurgitation, often called a leaky heart valve. Following FDA approval, Sutter was among the first in the nation to perform the procedure, further demonstrating leadership in structural heart research and care.

If you or a loved one needs heart or vascular care, learn more about Sutter’s services at https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/heart-and-vascular.

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