Member Spotlight: Cottage Health

Our Member Spotlight this week comes from Cottage Urgent Care, which is now open from Camarillo to San Luis Obispo – including in the Oxnard Esplanade Shopping Center. Open every day, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., walk-ins are welcome or make your appointment online. Their goal is to offer complete care in just 45 minutes. Cottage quality. Urgent Care.

​"Cottage Saved My Life with TAVR" - Patrick Grennan, 69, Ojai

Patrick Grennan of Ojai has always led an active life.  He coached his daughters' softball teams during their high school years, and he coached college women's softball for 20 years.  These days, Patrick and his wife, Syndy, enjoy hikes and bike rides accompanied by their Jack Russell terrier, Phinney, an enthusiastic passenger in the trailer attached to Patrick's bike.

In May 2020, Patrick set out on one of his regular hikes, but this time after a few hundred yards he experienced a sharp pain in his chest.  After he rested, the pain went away, but he knew something was wrong. He went to a cardiologist in Ventura, who referred him to the Cottage Heart & Vascular Center in Santa Barbara and Dr. Michael Shenoda, one of the center's interventional cardiologists.  

"I was suffering from aortic stenosis," Patrick said.  In patients with aortic valve stenosis, the heart's aortic valve thickens and calcifies, so it doesn't open fully.  This limits blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body and can cause chest pain, fainting, fatigue, leg swelling and shortness of breath.

Patrick needed to have his aortic valve replaced, and he was a good candidate for a recent medical advancement known as TAVR.  TAVR stands for transcatheter aortic valve replacement and is a minimally invasive heart procedure to replace a damaged aortic valve. It does not require open heart surgery.

Patrick had the TAVR procedure at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, and he recovered quickly.  "I was in the hospital for just a couple of days, and I was blown away with how much better I felt," he said.  "When I got home, I felt fantastic and went hiking, and just like that I was back to the old Patrick."

Patrick has been active ever since.  This past September, he and Syndy enjoyed a hiking and cycling trip in Olympic National Forest in Washington, and next year they have plans for an East Coast bike trip where they will cycle from Manhattan to Niagara Falls. 
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"I am so thankful for Cottage," Patrick said.

Patrick Grennan

Three Minimally Invasive Treatment Options at One Heart Center

​The Cottage Heart & Vascular Center is a national leader in Interventional Cardiology. Cottage is the only hospital on California's Central Coast that provides all three minimally invasive treatments.
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1.) TAVR - Replaces valve for aortic stenosis
2.) MitralClip® - Repairs leaky valve
3.) Watchman® - Reduces stroke risk due to atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heartbeat

Benefits of Minimally Invasive Heart Treatments

Improved heart function
Less pain
Less blood loss
Relief of symptoms
Shorter recovery time
Lower risk of complications
Quicker return to daily activities 

Patients Treated at the Cottage Heart & Vascular Center
(as of 1/25/22)

​TAVR 668
Watchman® 534
MitraClip® 125