"Thanks to Garnet Health, I Got My Life Back" - Pat’s Story

Garnet Health has partnered with Columbia University Irving Medical Center to provide structural heart services at their Middletown campus. Pictured is Garnet Health patient Patricia Watson with interventional cardiologist Mahesh Madhavan, MD.

Your heart is the hardest-working muscle in your body. And when it’s not working effectively, there could be a wide array of symptoms and possible conditions, even risk for a heart attack. In both Sullivan and Orange counties, heart disease is a leading cause of death. That’s why the hardest-working team here in the Hudson Valley is committed to diagnosing and treating cardiac problems.

Garnet Health Medical Center’s award-winning Peter Frommer, M.D. Heart Center has experienced cardiologists, specialists and advanced technologies to help diagnose, treat and rehabilitate residents of Sullivan and Orange counties—and beyond—who are in need of advanced heart care.

One of those area residents is Patricia Watson, an active woman who was enjoying life with her family and friends in Delaware County. But about two years ago, that began to change.

“In the last two years, I noticed I didn’t want to go out as much,” Patricia (Pat to her friends) recalls. “And before that, I had been very active.”

Pat was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, a condition that the American Heart Association defines as “a narrowing of the aortic valve opening [that] can sometimes be referred to as a failing heart valve.” The aortic valve regulates blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body. As we age, this valve can narrow, restricting that blood flow.

The procedure Pat needed is called a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Pat was referred to Garnet Health, which partners with Columbia University Irving Medical Center to bring some of the best interventional cardiologists to our community to perform minimally invasive, lifesaving complex heart-valve procedures. During the TAVR procedure, doctors use a catheter to insert a replacement valve that effectively takes over for the damaged valve. This procedure offers a less-invasive solution to open-heart surgery, and patients are usually hospitalized for only one to two days. “Thanks to Garnet Health, I got my life back,” says Pat.

In addition to minimally invasive structural heart services, Garnet Health also offers cardiothoracic surgery, in conjunction with their partners at NY-Presbyterian and Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Garnet Health’s open-heart surgery program is the first of its kind to be offered in Orange County. Since its launch in 2023, the program has exceeded expectations. Garnet Health has achieved outstanding quality outcomes, and hundreds of lifesaving complex cardiothoracic surgeries have been successfully completed. Local residents receive expert care, without the stress of traveling to New York City and being far from their loved ones.

Garnet Health Medical Center’s Peter Frommer, M.D. Heart Center offers comprehensive cardiac services—from diagnostic testing and treatments, like open-heart surgery and structural heart procedures, to cardiac rehabilitation. If you have any heart concerns, please see your cardiologist right away. If you don’t have a cardiologist, Garnet Health can help you find one. Call Garnet Health Doctors at (845) 333-8909 in Sullivan County or (845) 333-7575 in Orange County.